Julian Barnes Reading Order

8 books (1983–2020)

This seven-book anthology series, edited by Julian Barnes, spans from 1983 to 2014 and showcases short fiction and literary collections across multiple decades. The series is complete and should be read in publication order, beginning with Best of Young British Novelists and concluding with Lives of Houses. Each volume brings together diverse voices and stories that reflect the evolution of contemporary literature, blending mystery, thriller, and literary fiction across the carefully curated selections.

Start with Best of Young British Novelists, the first of 7 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Best of Young British Novelists 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Penguin Book of Modern British Short Stories 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Secret Ingredients 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Birds of Prey 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Stories to Get You Through the Night 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Library Book 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	That Glimpse of Truth 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Lives of Houses 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

11 books (1995–2025)

Julian Barnes has published eleven non-fiction works spanning from 1995 to 2025, with the series remaining active and ongoing. These books should be read in publication order, beginning with Letters From London. The collection encompasses essays, reflections, and observations across literary, cultural, and personal subjects, showcasing Barnes's distinctive voice across genres including mystery, thriller, and literary fiction.

Start with Letters From London, the first of 11 books in the Non-Fiction series.

#	Title
1	Letters From London 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Something to Declare 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Pedant in the Kitchen 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Death 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Nothing to be Frightened Of 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Keeping an Eye Open 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	A Life with Books 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Through the Window 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Levels of Life 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Man in the Red Coat 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Changing My Mind 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

4 books (1996–2015)

Julian Barnes published four collections of short stories and novellas between 1996 and 2015, beginning with Cross Channel and concluding with Homage to Hemingway. This complete series should be read in publication order to experience the author's evolving approach to the form across nearly two decades. The collections blend literary fiction with mystery and thriller elements, showcasing Barnes's range as a writer of shorter works.

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

#	Title
1	Cross Channel 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Evermore 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Explaining the Explicit 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Homage to Hemingway 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2004–2011)

Julian Barnes' short story collection series consists of two complete books published between 2004 and 2011. Both The Lemon Table and Pulse should be read in publication order, beginning with The Lemon Table from 2004 followed by Pulse in 2011. These collections showcase Barnes' range across literary fiction and mystery themes, offering standalone stories that reward careful reading.

Start with The Lemon Table and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Lemon Table 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Pulse 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

13 books (1980–2026)

Julian Barnes has written 13 standalone novels published between 1980 and 2026, with the series ongoing. These works span literary fiction, mystery and thriller, and nonfiction approaches, and should be read in publication order beginning with Metroland. The series includes acclaimed titles such as Flaubert's Parrot, A History of the World in 10½ Chapters, England, England, Arthur & George, and The Sense of an Ending, concluding most recently with Departure(s).

Start with Metroland, the first of 13 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	Metroland 1980Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Before She Met Me 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Flaubert's Parrot 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Staring at the Sun 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	A History of the World in 10½Chapters 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Porcupine 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	England, England 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Arthur & George 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	The Sense of an Ending 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Noise of Time 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	The Only Story 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Elizabeth Finch 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Departure(s) 2026Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (1986–1986)

2 books (1991–1992)

Julian Barnes's Talking It Over series consists of two literary fiction novels published in the early 1990s. The first book, Talking It Over, appeared in 1991, followed by its sequel Love, Etc. in 1992, completing the series. Read these books in publication order to follow the narrative thread that connects them.

Start with Talking It Over and read in order.

#	Title
1	Talking It Over 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Love, Etc. 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible