I went to Amazon and apparently there are various ways to put the Jack Ryan novels in order . . . by publishing date, by chronological order (story), and by order of frustration! Seriously though, if I wanted to read the Clancy Jack Ryan novels in proper order, what would they be?

Wiki is a good source for book series ordering:

Jack Ryan (Tom Clancy character)

I'd suggest reading-

Hunt for Red October
Cardinal of the Kremlin
The Sum of All Fears


maybe Debt of Honour.

Clancy lost the plot after that.

Not to be missed is Red Storm Rising, granted not part of the Ryanverse, but arguably a classic and Clancy's best novel.

I also liked without remorse and clear and present danger.

Without Remorse has Ryan's father in it. Then there's HFRO, Cardinal and Sum of all Fears, and then there's Clear & Present Danger, which is my favourite Clancy book aside from Red Storm Rising. Then there's Debt of Honour and Executive Orders, both very good IMO. Check the wiki link for details, but this should provide you with some hours of reading pleasure

I read Debt of Honour just a few months before 9-11, it was like the book coming to life as it was still fresh in my mind at the time.
It made me wonder who fed off whom, and did it supply the spark that led to 9-11.

Thanks for the tips! Although I've read all of the novels mentioned here (and some more), I was unsure if I read them in chronological order . . . not that it's neccessary, but when I get my Kindle next week I have Clancy on top of the priority list and want to start from the start of the "Ryanverse" and work my way to the present. Enough time has passed that most of them will be read with a fresh perspective. I do agree though that after a certain point Clancy gets a bit weak.