Booth Tarkington Reading Order
7 series · 65 books · Born 1869
Booth Tarkington was a prolific American author and playwright known for his insightful portrayals of American life, particularly in the early 20th century. Over his career, which spanned from 1899 to 2020, he penned 65 works across seven series, including The Growth Trilogy and Penrod, as well as standalone novels, short stories, and plays. His most celebrated novels, The Magnificent Ambersons and Alice Adams, earned him the distinction of being one of only four authors to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction multiple times.
Anthologies Series
Complete2 books (2012–2015)
Start with The Second Christmas Megapack and read in order.
Non-Fiction Series
Complete11 books (1905–1974)
Start with In the Arena, the first of 11 books in the Non-Fiction series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  In the Arena 1905Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 | The Collector's Whatnot 1923Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 | Just Princeton 1924Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 4 |  The World Does Move 1928Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 5 |  Some Old Portraits 1939Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 6 | Booth Tarkington on Dogs 1944Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 7 | An Open Letter from Booth Tarkington 1945Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 8 |  Your Amiable Uncle 1949Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 9 |  On Plays, Playwrights, And Playgoers 1959Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 10 | Looking Forward And Others. 1969Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 11 |  Dr. Panofsky and Mr. Tarkington: An Exchange of Letters, 1938-1946(With: Erwin Panofsky,Richard Ludwig) 1974Buy 🇺🇸 |
Penrod Series
Complete3 books (1914–1929)
Start with Penrod and read in order.
Short Story Collections Series
Complete6 books (1918–1984)
Start with Harlequin and Columbine, the first of 6 books in the Short Story Collections series.
Standalone Novels Series
Complete35 books (1899–2004)
Start with The Gentleman from Indiana, the first of 35 books in the Standalone Novels series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  The Gentleman from Indiana 1899Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 |  Monsieur Beaucaire 1900Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 | Old Gray Eagle 1901Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 4 |  The Two Vanrevels 1902Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 5 |  Cherry 1903Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 6 |  The Flirt 1913Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 7 |  Seventeen 1916Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 8 | The Rich Man's War 1917Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 9 |  Beasley's Christmas Party 1919Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 10 |  Beauty and the Jacobin 1919Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 11 |  His Own People 1919Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 12 |  The Beautiful Lady 1919Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 13 |  The Conquest of Canaan 1919Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 14 |  The Gibson Upright 1919Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 15 |  The Guest of Quesnay 1919Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 16 | Neither Dead nor Sleeping 1920Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 17 |  Alice Adams 1921Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 18 |  Gentle Julia 1922Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 19 |  Women 1925Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 20 | About Fred C. Kelly, author of Kellygrams 1926Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 21 |  The Plutocrat 1927Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 22 | Claire Ambler 1928Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 23 | Ramsey Milholland 1929Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 24 | Young Mrs. Greeley 1929Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 25 | Mary's Neck 1932Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 26 | Wanton Mally 1932Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 27 | Presenting Lily Mars 1933Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 28 | Little Orvie 1934Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 29 | The Fighting Littles 1941Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 30 | To the Girls and Boys of Indianapolis 1942Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 31 | Kate Fennigate 1943Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 32 | Lady Hamilton and Her Nelson 1945Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 33 | The Showpiece 1947Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 34 |  Image of Josephine 1948Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 35 |  Mrs. Protheroe 2004Buy 🇺🇸 |
Standalone Plays Series
Complete5 books (1915–2020)
Start with The Man from Home, the first of 5 books in the Standalone Plays series.
The Growth Trilogy Series
Complete3 books (1915–2020)
Start with The Turmoil and read in order.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many books has Booth Tarkington written?
- Booth Tarkington has written 65 books across 7 series. Their published works span from 1899 to 2020.
- What is the first book in each Booth Tarkington series?
- Here are the first books in Booth Tarkington's series: Anthologies: The Second Christmas Megapack; Non-Fiction: In the Arena; Penrod: Penrod; Short Story Collections: Harlequin and Columbine; Standalone Plays: The Man from Home.
- What order should I read Booth Tarkington's books?
- We recommend reading Booth Tarkington's series in publication order. Each series can be read independently.
- Are Booth Tarkington's series complete?
- Booth Tarkington has 7 completed series.