Jean Auel is an American author best known for her Earth's Children series of novels, set in the Paleolithic era. Her most famous work is The Clan of the Cave Bear, the first book in the series, which was published in 1980. The protagonist of the series is Ayla, a young woman of the Cro-Magnon people who is adopted by the Neanderthals. Jean Auel's books have sold more than 45 million copies worldwide and have been translated into over 25 languages.