
Kingsley Amis Reading Order
8 series Β· 110 books Β· Born 1922-04-16
Kingsley Amis was a prolific English writer who made his mark with the satirical novel Lucky Jim, a witty critique of academic life that secured his reputation as a major literary voice of the postwar era. Beyond fiction, he established himself as a versatile author across multiple genres, including poetry collections, literary essays, and reviews that regularly appeared in leading British publications. His works span from comic novels exploring ordinary characters navigating modern society to his contributions to the James Bond series, demonstrating a range that encompassed both serious literary ambition and entertaining popular fiction.
Anthologies Series
Complete17 books (1921β2000)
Start with The Faber Popular Reciter, the first of 17 books in the Anthologies series.
Start this series with The Faber Popular Reciter
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Faber Popular Reciter |
| 2 | Spectrum I |
| 3 | Spectrum II |
| 4 | Writing in America |
| 5 | Spectrum III |
| 6 | Five-Odd / Possible Tomorrows |
| 7 | Spectrum IV |
| 8 | The Best of British SF 2 |
| 9 | Right Turn: Eight Men Who Changed Their Minds |
| 10 | The New Oxford Book of Light Verse |
| 11 | Best for Winter |
| 12 | The Golden Age of Science Fiction |
| 13 | The Penguin Book of Modern British Short Stories |
| 14 | The Amis Anthology |
| 15 | The Amis Story Anthology |
| 16 | The Little Book of Horrors: Tiny Tales of Terror |
| 17 | The Young Oxford Book of Nightmares |
James Bond Series
Likely Complete34 books (1968β2022)
Start with Colonel Sun, the first of 33 books in the James Bond series.
Start this series with Colonel Sun
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Colonel Sun |
| 2 | The Authorized Biography of 007(By: John George Pearson) |
| 3 | License Renewed(By: John Gardner) |
| 4 | For Special Services(By: John Gardner) |
| 5 | Icebreaker(By: John Gardner) |
| 6 | Role of Honor(By: John Gardner) |
| 7 | Nobody Lives Forever(By: John Gardner) |
| 8 | No Deals, Mr. Bond(By: John Gardner) |
| 9 | Scorpius(By: John Gardner) |
| 10 | Licence to Kill(By: John Gardner) |
| 11 | Win, Lose or Die(By: John Gardner) |
| 12 | Brokenclaw(By: John Gardner) |
| 13 | The Man from Barbarossa(By: John Gardner) |
| 14 | Death Is Forever(By: John Gardner) |
| 15 | Never Send Flowers(By: John Gardner) |
| 16 | SeaFire(By: John Gardner) |
| 17 | GoldenEye(By: John Gardner) |
| 18 | Cold Fall(By: John Gardner) |
| 19 | Tomorrow Never Dies(By: Raymond Benson) |
| 20 | Zero Minus Ten(By: Raymond Benson) |
| 21 | The Facts of Death(By: Raymond Benson) |
| 22 | High Time to Kill(By: Raymond Benson) |
| 23 | Midsummer Nights Doom(By: John Gardner) 1999 |
| 24 | The World is Not Enough(By: Raymond Benson) |
| 25 | Doubleshot(By: Raymond Benson) |
| 26 | Never Dream of Dying(By: Raymond Benson) |
| 27 | Die Another Day(By: Raymond Benson) |
| 28 | The Man With the Red Tattoo(By: Raymond Benson) |
| 29 | Devil May Care(By: Sebastian Faulks) |
| 30 | Carte Blanche(By: Jeffery Deaver) |
| 31 | Solo(By: William Boyd) |
| 32 | Trigger Mortis(By: Anthony Horowitz) |
| 33 | Forever and a Day(By: Anthony Horowitz) |
| 34 | With a Mind to Kill(By: Anthony Horowitz) |
Jim Dixon Series
Complete4 books (1954β1968)
Start with Lucky Jim, the first of 4 books in the Jim Dixon series.
Start this series with Lucky Jim
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Lucky Jim |
| 2 | That Uncertain Feeling |
| 3 | I Like it Here |
| 4 | Lucky Jim's Politics. |
Non-Fiction Series
Complete19 books (1960β2019)
Start with New Maps of Hell, the first of 19 books in the Non-Fiction series.
Start this series with New Maps of Hell
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | New Maps of Hell |
| 2 | The James Bond Dossier |
| 3 | What Became of Jane Austen? |
| 4 | On Drink |
| 5 | Tennyson |
| 6 | Rudyard Kipling and His World |
| 7 | Harold's Years |
| 8 | An Arts Policy? |
| 9 | Everyday Drinking |
| 10 | How's Your Glass? |
| 11 | The Great British Songbook |
| 12 | The Amis Collection |
| 13 | Kingsley Amis in Life and Letters |
| 14 | Memoirs |
| 15 | You Can't Do Both |
| 16 | The King's English |
| 17 | The Letters of Kingsley Amis |
| 18 | Conversations with Kingsley Amis |
| 19 | Raising a Smile |
Patrick Standish and Jenny Bunn Series
Complete2 books (1960β1988)
Start with Take a Girl Like You and read in order.
Start this series with Take a Girl Like You
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Take a Girl Like You |
| 2 | Difficulties with Girls |
Short Story Collections Series
Complete9 books (1947β2011)
Start with Bright November, the first of 9 books in the Short Story Collections series.
Start this series with Bright November
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bright November |
| 2 | A Frame of Mind |
| 3 | A Case of Samples |
| 4 | A Look Around the Estate |
| 5 | Collected Poems, 1944-1979 |
| 6 | Collected Short Stories |
| 7 | The Pleasure of Poetry |
| 8 | Mr. Barrett's Secret and Other Stories |
| 9 | Complete Stories |
Spectrum Series
Complete4 books (1961β1965)
Start with Spectrum I(With: Robert Conquest), the first of 4 books in the Spectrum series.
Start this series with Spectrum I(With: Robert Conquest)
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Spectrum I(With: Robert Conquest) |
| 2 | Spectrum II(With: Robert Conquest) |
| 3 | Spectrum III(With: Robert Conquest) |
| 4 | Spectrum IV(With: John Wyndham,Cordwainer Smith,Robert Conquest) |
Standalone Novels Series
Complete21 books (1962β1995)
Start with My Enemy's Enemy, the first of 21 books in the Standalone Novels series.
Start this series with My Enemy's Enemy
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | My Enemy's Enemy |
| 2 | One Fat Englishman |
| 3 | The Anti-Death League |
| 4 | The Egyptologists(With: Robert Conquest) |
| 5 | I Want It Now |
| 6 | The Green Man |
| 7 | Girl, 20 |
| 8 | Dear Illusion |
| 9 | The Riverside Villas Murder |
| 10 | Ending Up |
| 11 | The Crime of the Century |
| 12 | The Alteration |
| 13 | Jake's Thing |
| 14 | The Darkwater Hall Mystery |
| 15 | Russian Hide-and-Seek |
| 16 | Stanley and the Women |
| 17 | The Old Devils |
| 18 | The Folks That Live on the Hill |
| 19 | We Are All Guilty |
| 20 | The Russian Girl |
| 21 | The Biographer's Moustache |
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many books has Kingsley Amis written?
- Kingsley Amis has written 110 books across 8 series. Their published works span from 1921 to 2022.
- What is the first book in each Kingsley Amis series?
- Here are the first books in Kingsley Amis's series: Anthologies: The Faber Popular Reciter; James Bond: Colonel Sun; Jim Dixon: Lucky Jim; Non-Fiction: New Maps of Hell; Patrick Standish and Jenny Bunn: Take a Girl Like You.
- What order should I read Kingsley Amis's books?
- We recommend reading Kingsley Amis's series in publication order. Each series can be read independently.
- Are Kingsley Amis's series complete?
- Kingsley Amis has 7 completed series.

