Dorothy L. Sayers Reading Order
10 series · 89 books · Born 13 June 1893
Dorothy L. Sayers was a prolific English author known for her compelling contributions to the mystery genre, particularly through her iconic character Lord Peter Wimsey. With a remarkable output of 89 books spanning ten series, she captivated readers with her intricate plots and sharp wit, especially in her collaborations featuring both Wimsey and Harriet Vane. Active from 1923 until 2025, her most acclaimed works include a combination of standalone novels, short stories, and collections that continue to influence crime writing today.
Anthologies Series
Ongoing19 books (1931–2025)
Start with Great Short Stories of Detection, Mystery and Horror, the first of 19 books in the Anthologies series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  Great Short Stories of Detection, Mystery and Horror 1931Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 | The Floating Admiral 1931Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 |  Ask a Policeman 1933Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 4 |  More Anatomy of Murder 1936Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 5 | Fifty Famous Detectives of Fiction 1948Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 6 |  Human And Inhuman Stories 1963Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 7 |  Nine Detective Stories 1964Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 8 |  The Scoop and Behind the Screen 1983Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 9 |  Double Death 1985Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 10 |  English Country House Murders 1988Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 11 | Crime Never Pays 2001Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 12 |  The Best Crime Stories Ever Told 2002Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 13 |  Murder On The Railways 2003Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 14 |  The Longman Anthology of Detective Fiction 2004Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 15 | The Philosophy of Sherlock Holmes 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 16 |  Plough Quarterly No. 18 - The Art of Community 2018Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 17 | Bodies from the Library 2 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 18 | Murder in Midsummer: Classic Mysteries for the Holidays 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 19 | Metropolitan Mysteries: A Casebook of London's Detectives 2025Buy 🇺🇸 |
Chapbooks Series
Complete1 book (1951–1951)
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  The Emperor Constantine 1951Buy 🇺🇸 |
Lord Peter Wimsey Series
Complete15 books (1923–1973)
Start with Whose Body?, the first of 15 books in the Lord Peter Wimsey series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  Whose Body? 1923Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 |  Clouds of Witness 1926Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 |  Unnatural Death 1927Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 4 |  Lord Peter Views the Body 1928Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 5 |  The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club 1928Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 6 |  Strong Poison 1930Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 7 | Five Red Herrings 1931Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 8 |  Have His Carcase 1932Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 9 |  Hangman's Holiday 1933Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 10 |  Murder Must Advertise 1933Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 11 |  The Nine Tailors 1934Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 12 |  Gaudy Night 1935Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 13 |  Busman's Honeymoon 1937Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 14 |  In the Teeth of the Evidence 1939Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 15 |  Striding Folly 1973Buy 🇺🇸 |
Lord Peter Wimsey & Harriet Vane Series
Complete4 books (1998–2013)
Start with Thrones, Dominations, the first of 4 books in the Lord Peter Wimsey & Harriet Vane series.
Non-Fiction Series
Ongoing15 books (1941–2024)
Start with The Mind of the Maker, the first of 15 books in the Non-Fiction series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  The Mind of the Maker 1941Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 |  Unpopular Opinions 1946Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 | Creed or Chaos? 1947Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 4 |  Further Papers on Dante(With: Barbara Reynolds) 1957Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 5 |  Are Women Human? 1959Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 6 | The Days of Christ's Coming 1960Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 7 | Wilkie Collins a Critical and Biographical Study 1977Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 8 |  The Whimsical Christian 1987Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 9 |  Spiritual Writings 1993Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 10 |  The Letters of Dorothy L. Sayers. Vol. 1, 1899-1936 1996Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 11 |  The Letters of Dorothy L. Sayers. Vol. 2, 1937-1943 1998Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 12 |  The letters of Dorothy L. Sayers. Vol. 3, 1944-1950 1999Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 13 | The Letters of Dorothy L. Sayers: 1951-1957 2000Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 14 |  The Letters of Dorothy L. Sayers: Child and Woman of Her Time 2002Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 15 |  Education's Not the Point(With: John Taylor Gatto,Elizabeth Y Hanson) 2024Buy 🇺🇸 |
Short Stories/Novellas Series
Complete2 books (1939–1947)
Start with The Wimsey Papers and read in order.
Short Story Collections Series
Complete3 books (1958–2002)
Start with A Treasury of Sayers Stories and read in order.
Standalone Novels Series
Complete1 book (1930–1930)
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  The Documents In The Case 1930Buy 🇺🇸 |
Standalone Plays Series
Complete1 book (1943–1943)
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  The Man Born to Be King 1943Buy 🇺🇸 |
The Philosophy of Popular Culture Series
Likely Complete28 books (2005–2021)
Start with The Philosophy of Film Noir, the first of 28 books in the The Philosophy of Popular Culture series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Philosophy of Film Noir 2005Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 | Basketball and Philosophy 2007Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 | Basketball and Philosophy: Thinking Outside the Paint 2007Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 4 | The Philosophy of Martin Scorsese 2007Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 5 | The Philosophy of Neo-Noir 2007Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 6 |  The Philosophy of Science Fiction Film 2007Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 7 | The Philosophy of Stanley Kubrick 2007Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 8 | Football and Philosophy: Going Deep 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 9 | Steven Spielberg and Philosophy: We're Gonna Need a Bigger Book 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 10 | The Philosophy of The X-Files 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 11 | Golf and Philosophy: Lessons from the Links 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 12 | The Philosophy of Horror 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 13 | The Philosophy of the Western 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 14 | The Philosophy of Charlie Kaufman 2011Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 15 | The Philosophy of David Lynch 2011Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 16 | The Philosophy of Joss Whedon 2011Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 17 | The Philosophy of Spike Lee 2011Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 18 | The Philosophy of Steven Soderbergh 2011Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 19 | The Olympics and Philosophy 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 20 | The Philosophy of David Cronenberg 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 21 | The Philosophy of Sherlock Holmes 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 22 | The Philosophy of Ang Lee 2013Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 23 | The Philosophy of Clint Eastwood 2014Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 24 | The Philosophy of J.J. Abrams 2014Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 25 | The Philosophy of Michael Mann 2014Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 26 | The Philosophy of Tim Burton 2014Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 27 | The Philosophy of War Films 2015Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 28 | Tennis and Philosophy: What the Racket is All About 2021Buy 🇺🇸 |
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many books has Dorothy L. Sayers written?
- Dorothy L. Sayers has written 89 books across 10 series. Their published works span from 1923 to 2025.
- What is the first book in each Dorothy L. Sayers series?
- Here are the first books in Dorothy L. Sayers's series: Anthologies: Great Short Stories of Detection, Mystery and Horror; Lord Peter Wimsey: Whose Body?; Lord Peter Wimsey & Harriet Vane: Thrones, Dominations; Non-Fiction: The Mind of the Maker; Short Stories/Novellas: The Wimsey Papers.
- What order should I read Dorothy L. Sayers's books?
- We recommend reading Dorothy L. Sayers's series in publication order. Each series can be read independently.
- Is Dorothy L. Sayers still writing new books?
- Yes, Dorothy L. Sayers has 2 ongoing series: Anthologies, Non-Fiction.