Booth Tarkington Reading Order

2 books (2012–2015)

This complete collection comprises two literary anthologies published between 2012 and 2015, featuring works by Booth Tarkington alongside other authors. Read the books in publication order, beginning with The Second Christmas Megapack followed by The Dover Anthology of Cat Stories. Both volumes should be approached as standalone compilations rather than a continuous narrative.

Start with The Second Christmas Megapack and read in order.

11 books (1905–1974)

Booth Tarkington's non-fiction collection spans eleven books published between 1905 and 1974, presenting the acclaimed author's essays, letters, and observations on topics ranging from art and literature to his personal interests. The series is complete and should be read in publication order, beginning with In the Arena. These works offer insight into Tarkington's perspectives on the arts, society, and various subjects that engaged his attention throughout his long writing career.

Start with In the Arena, the first of 11 books in the Non-Fiction series.

#	Title
1	In the Arena 1905Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Collector's Whatnot 1923Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Just Princeton 1924Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The World Does Move 1928Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Some Old Portraits 1939Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Booth Tarkington on Dogs 1944Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	An Open Letter from Booth Tarkington 1945Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Your Amiable Uncle 1949Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	On Plays, Playwrights, And Playgoers 1959Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Looking Forward And Others. 1969Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Dr. Panofsky and Mr. Tarkington: An Exchange of Letters, 1938-1946(With: Erwin Panofsky,Richard Ludwig) 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (1914–1929)

Booth Tarkington's Penrod series consists of three complete literary fiction novels published between 1914 and 1929, which should be read in publication order. The trilogy begins with Penrod, followed by Penrod and Sam and concludes with Penrod Jashber, offering a finished narrative arc across all three installments.

Start with Penrod and read in order.

#	Title
1	Penrod 1914Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Penrod and Sam 1916Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Penrod Jashber 1929Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

6 books (1918–1984)

This complete short story collection series by Booth Tarkington spans from 1918 to 1984 across six volumes. The works should be read in publication order, beginning with Harlequin and Columbine. Tarkington's literary fiction and non-fiction are represented throughout this collection of stories that showcase his varied writing across nearly seven decades.

Start with Harlequin and Columbine, the first of 6 books in the Short Story Collections series.

#	Title
1	Harlequin and Columbine 1918Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Works of Booth Tarkington ... 1922Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Fascinating Stranger and Other Stories 1923Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Strack selections from Booth Tarkington's stories, 1926Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Mr. White, The red barn, Hell, and Bridewater, 1935Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Stories 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

35 books (1899–2004)

Booth Tarkington's Standalone Novels collection comprises 35 independent literary fiction works published between 1899 and 2004. These novels, which include titles such as The Gentleman from Indiana, Monsieur Beaucaire, Seventeen, and The Conquest of Canaan, can be read in any order as each stands alone as a complete story. For those interested in following Tarkington's creative development chronologically, the series is best approached in publication order, beginning with The Gentleman from Indiana.

Start with The Gentleman from Indiana, the first of 35 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	The Gentleman from Indiana 1899Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Monsieur Beaucaire 1900Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Old Gray Eagle 1901Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Two Vanrevels 1902Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Cherry 1903Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Flirt 1913Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Seventeen 1916Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Rich Man's War 1917Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Beasley's Christmas Party 1919Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Beauty and the Jacobin 1919Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	His Own People 1919Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	The Beautiful Lady 1919Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	The Conquest of Canaan 1919Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	The Gibson Upright 1919Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	The Guest of Quesnay 1919Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Neither Dead nor Sleeping 1920Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Alice Adams 1921Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Gentle Julia 1922Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Women 1925Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	About Fred C. Kelly, author of Kellygrams 1926Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	The Plutocrat 1927Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	Claire Ambler 1928Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	Ramsey Milholland 1929Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	Young Mrs. Greeley 1929Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	Mary's Neck 1932Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	Wanton Mally 1932Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
27	Presenting Lily Mars 1933Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
28	Little Orvie 1934Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
29	The Fighting Littles 1941Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
30	To the Girls and Boys of Indianapolis 1942Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
31	Kate Fennigate 1943Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
32	Lady Hamilton and Her Nelson 1945Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
33	The Showpiece 1947Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
34	Image of Josephine 1948Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
35	Mrs. Protheroe 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

5 books (1915–2020)

Booth Tarkington's Standalone Plays series comprises five independent dramatic works published between 1915 and 2020. These literary plays—The Man from Home, Bimbo the Pirate, How's Your Health?, Mister Antonio, and The Trysting Place—can be read in any order since each stands alone as a complete work. For those interested in experiencing them as Tarkington intended, reading them in publication order provides a chronological perspective on the author's theatrical output.

Start with The Man from Home, the first of 5 books in the Standalone Plays series.

#	Title
1	The Man from Home 1915Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Bimbo, the Pirate ; 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	How's your Health? 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Mister Antonio; 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Trysting Place 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (1915–2020)

Booth Tarkington's Growth Trilogy spans more than a century of publication, beginning with The Turmoil in 1915 and concluding with Midlander in 2020. This complete three-book series should be read in publication order to fully appreciate how Tarkington explores the evolution of American society and culture. The novels chart the transformations of characters and communities as they navigate the modern world, offering literary fiction that examines growth and change across generations.

Start with The Turmoil and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Turmoil 1915Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Magnificent Ambersons 1918Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Midlander 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible