John Steinbeck Reading Order

19 books (1941–2018)

This anthology series spans 19 volumes of curated short fiction and nonfiction collections published between 1941 and 2018. The series includes classic short story collections, mystery anthologies, fantasy compilations, and thematic volumes covering topics like espionage and war writing. Read the volumes in publication order starting with Twenty Grand: Great American Short Stories. The series is complete.

Start with Twenty Grand: Great American Short Stories, the first of 19 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Twenty Grand: Great American Short Stories 1941Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Great Short Masterpieces of Mystery 1950Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	50 Great Short Stories 1952Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Short Story Masterpieces: 35 Classic American and British Stories from the First Half of the 20th Century 1954Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	This Was Your War 1960Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Editors on Editing 1962Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	50 Great American Short Stories 1963Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	21 Great Stories 1969Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Unknown California 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Pendragon Chronicles: Heroic Fantasy from the Time of King Arthur 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	The Short Story: 30 Masterpieces 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Win, Lose or Die 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	The Best American Mystery Stories of the Century 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	The Book of Spies: An Anthology of Literary Espionage 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	The Little Big Book of California 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Not To Be Read Until I Am Dead: And Other Stuff 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Letters to Change the World: From Pankhurst to Orwell 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Writers: Their Lives and Works 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (1945–1954)

John Steinbeck's two-book series set in California's Monterey Peninsula follows the interconnected lives of residents in and around the titular seaside district. Published between 1945 and 1954, these complete works should be read in publication order, beginning with Cannery Row. The series blends fictional narrative with Steinbeck's observational style, capturing the culture and characters of this distinctive community during the mid-twentieth century.

Start with Cannery Row and read in order.

#	Title
1	Cannery Row 1945Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Sweet Thursday 1954Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

4 books (1938–1989)

John Steinbeck's Collections series consists of four nonfiction volumes published between 1938 and 1989, presenting selected works and correspondence from the acclaimed American author. These books should be read in publication order, beginning with The Long Valley and progressing through The Short Novels of John Steinbeck, The Chrysanthemums and Other Stories, and concluding with Steinbeck: A Life in Letters. The series is complete and offers readers a comprehensive overview of Steinbeck's shorter fiction and personal writings across more than five decades.

Start with The Long Valley, the first of 4 books in the Collections series.

#	Title
1	The Long Valley 1938Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Short Novels of John Steinbeck 1953Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Chrysanthemums and Other Stories 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Steinbeck: A Life in Letters 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

14 books (1936–2012)

This collection of 14 nonfiction works spans John Steinbeck's career from 1936 to 2012, offering insights into his observations, travels, and reflections on American life and beyond. The series includes journalistic pieces, travel narratives, and writings about his creative process, best read in publication order to trace the evolution of Steinbeck's thinking across several decades. Though the author's most recent contribution appeared in 2012, some volumes were compiled posthumously from his journals and previously unpublished writings. Beginning with The Harvest Gypsies provides context for understanding how Steinbeck's nonfiction work developed throughout his lifetime.

Start with The Harvest Gypsies, the first of 14 books in the Non-Fiction series.

#	Title
1	The Harvest Gypsies 1936Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Bombs Away 1942Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	A Russian Journal 1948Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Sea of Cortez 1951Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Log from the 'Sea of Cortez' 1951Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Once There Was a War 1958Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Travels with Charley 1962Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	America and Americans 1966Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	In Touch 1969Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Journal of a Novel 1969Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	On Writing 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Working Days 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Of Men and Their Making 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Steinbeck in Vietnam 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (1942–1975)

This collection contains two plays by John Steinbeck, published across three decades from 1942 to 1975. Both works should be read in publication order, beginning with The Moon is Down followed by Zapata. The series is complete with these two entries and represents Steinbeck's dramatic works during his prolific writing career.

Start with The Moon is Down and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Moon is Down 1942Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Zapata 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

4 books (1938–2007)

John Steinbeck's Short Stories and Novellas collection comprises four works published between 1938 and 2007, presenting a complete series that should be read in publication order. These four pieces—Flight, The Vigilante, Murder, and The Chrysanthemums—showcase Steinbeck's mastery of shorter fictional forms across his career. The series is now complete and offers readers a focused selection of his most significant short fiction.

Start with Flight, the first of 4 books in the Short Stories/Novellas series.

#	Title
1	Flight 1938Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Vigilante 1938Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Murder 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Chrysanthemums 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

18 books (1929–1992)

John Steinbeck's 18 standalone novels span from 1929 to 1992 and should be read in publication order to follow the author's evolving literary career. This complete collection includes celebrated works such as Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath, and East of Eden alongside lesser-known titles, each standing independently but reflecting Steinbeck's developing themes and storytelling techniques. While primarily known as a fiction writer, this series encompasses his diverse prose works across multiple decades. Beginning with Cup of Gold and concluding with his final novels, these books showcase the range of Steinbeck's distinctive American voice and social consciousness.

Start with Cup of Gold, the first of 18 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	Cup of Gold 1929Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Pastures of Heaven 1932Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Red Pony 1933Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	To a God Unknown 1933Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Tortilla Flat 1935Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	In Dubious Battle 1936Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Nothing So Monstrous 1936Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Of Mice and Men 1937Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	The Grapes of Wrath 1939Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Forgotten Village 1941Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	The Pearl 1947Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	The Wayward Bus 1947Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Burning Bright 1950Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	East of Eden 1952Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	The Short Reign of Pippin IV 1957Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	The Winter of Our Discontent 1961Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	The Gift 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible