The Golden TypewriterThe James Bond books in order
Read Ian Fleming's fourteen Bond books in the order they were published, starting with Casino Royale (1953) and ending with Octopussy and The Living Daylights (1966).
The Bond books in publication order
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
Why publication order works best
The books do not keep a precise calendar, so there is no reliable "story order" that differs from the order they came out. Reading them as published lets you watch Bond develop and avoids spoiling earlier books by accident.
A Penguin editor writing for the publisher's site also recommends publication order, and points out that From Russia with Love leads straight into Dr. No.
Books that must be read together
Three novels form a sequence about Ernst Stavro Blofeld: Thunderball, On Her Majesty's Secret Service and You Only Live Twice. Read them in that order. The Man with the Golden Gun follows them and works best last.
Where the short stories fit
Keep the two collections in their publication places, eighth and fourteenth. Modern copies of Octopussy and The Living Daylights may contain four stories rather than the original two; our editions guide explains the difference.
What about the prequel?
Anthony Horowitz's Forever and a Day (2018) is set before Casino Royale, but it was written sixty-five years later. On a first read, save it until after Fleming's own books. See continuation novels.
Fleming's other books
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Diamond Smugglers and Thrilling Cities stand alone and can be read at any point.
Sources
- Ian Fleming Publications: bibliographyConfirmed
- Penguin: the best order to read the James Bond booksReported
- Ian Fleming Publications: the James Bond libraryConfirmed