Len Deighton Reading Order

3 books (1991–2016)

Len Deighton's anthology series spans three decades with Great Flying Stories, The Man Who..., and Motives for Murder, published between 1991 and 2016. The series is complete and should be read in publication order to experience Deighton's curated collections as they were originally presented. These anthologies draw from the author's expertise in mystery, thriller, and adventure narratives, offering readers a diverse selection of stories across the series.

Start with Great Flying Stories and read in order.

#	Title
1	Great Flying Stories 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Man Who... 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Motives for Murder 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

10 books (1983–1996)

The Bernard Samson series consists of ten espionage thrillers published between 1983 and 1996, following British intelligence agent Bernard Samson through intricate Cold War plots and personal crises. Len Deighton crafted this complete series to be read in publication order, beginning with Berlin Game and concluding with Faith, Hope, Charity. The narrative weaves together tradecraft, historical family drama spanning from 1899 to 1945, and the moral ambiguities of intelligence work during the latter half of the twentieth century.

Start with Berlin Game, the first of 10 books in the Bernard Samson series.

#	Title
1	Berlin Game 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	London Match 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Mexico Set 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Winter: A Berlin Family, 1899-1945 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Spy Hook 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Spy Line 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Spy Sinker 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Faith 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Hope 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Charity 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

8 books (1962–2026)

The Harry Palmer series comprises eight spy thrillers by Len Deighton, beginning with Horse Under Water in 1962 and concluding most recently in 2026. This ongoing series should be read in publication order to follow the evolution of the protagonist and narrative arc across the books. The series blends mystery, action, and espionage elements characteristic of Deighton's work in the spy fiction genre.

Start with Horse Under Water, the first of 8 books in the Harry Palmer series.

#	Title
1	Horse Under Water 1962Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The IPCRESS File 1962Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Funeral in Berlin 1964Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Billion-Dollar Brain 1966Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	An Expensive Place to Die 1967Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Spy Story 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Twinkle, Twinkle Little Spy / Catch a Falling Spy 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Only When I Larf 2026Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

11 books (1965–2012)

Len Deighton's complete non-fiction series spans 11 books published between 1965 and 2012, covering diverse subjects from cooking and culinary techniques to military history and aviation. The collection includes practical cookbooks alongside detailed historical accounts of military conflicts and aircraft disasters, reflecting Deighton's varied interests beyond his celebrated spy fiction. These books should be read in publication order to follow the author's evolving perspectives and research across five decades. The series is now complete and offers readers insight into Deighton's expertise in both gastronomy and twentieth-century military history.

Start with Action Cook Book, the first of 11 books in the Non-Fiction series.

#	Title
1	Action Cook Book 1965Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Où est le garlic / Basic French Cooking 1965Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	No Royalty A/C Action Cook Book 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Fighter 1977Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Airshipwreck 1978Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Blitzkrieg 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Basic French Cookery Course 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	ABC of French Food 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Blood, Tears, and Folly 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Len Deighton’s French Cooking for Men 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	James Bond: My Long and Eventful Search for His Father 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (1992–1992)

#	Title
1	Declarations of War 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

10 books (1967–1993)

Len Deighton's collection of ten standalone novels spans from 1967 to 1993, offering readers a diverse range of thrillers and mysteries independent of one another. Each book can be read in any order, though experiencing them in publication sequence beginning with Only When I Laugh allows for appreciation of the author's evolving style across the series. The complete collection includes titles such as Bomber, SS-GB, XPD, and Violent Ward, showcasing Deighton's versatility across spy fiction, historical narratives, and crime thrillers. These works draw on the author's expertise in mystery, action-adventure, and factual storytelling to create compelling narratives for genre enthusiasts.

Start with Only When I Laugh / Only When I Larf, the first of 10 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	Only When I Laugh / Only When I Larf 1967Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Bomber 1971Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Close-Up 1972Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Yesterday's Spy 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	SS-GB 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	XPD 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Goodbye, Mickey Mouse 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	MAMista 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	City of Gold 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Violent Ward 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

33 books (1951–2007)

The Wordsworth Military Library is a complete 33-book series of military history and biography published between 1951 and 2007, edited by Len Deighton. Rather than a narrative series, these volumes are standalone works by various historians and military scholars examining specific conflicts, campaigns, and military figures from ancient times through the modern era. Readers should approach the collection in publication order, beginning with The Drama of the Scharnhorst and progressing through works covering topics ranging from Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar to the American Civil War and twentieth-century conflicts. This comprehensive anthology serves as both a reference collection and a curated introduction to military history for general readers.

Start with The Drama Of The Scharnhorst(By: Fritz-Otto Busch), the first of 33 books in the Wordsworth Military Library series.

#	Title
1	The Drama Of The Scharnhorst(By: Fritz-Otto Busch) 1951Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Struggle for Europe(By: Chester Wilmot) 1952Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Crecy War(By: Alfred H. Burne) 1955Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	This Hallowed Ground(By: Bruce Catton) 1955Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Agincourt War(By: Alfred H. Burne) 1956Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Generalship of Alexander the Great(By: J.F.C. Fuller) 1958Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Longest Day(By: Cornelius Ryan) 1959Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Julius Caesar(By: J Fuller) 1965Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Bosworth Field and the Wars of the Roses(By: A.L. Rowse) 1966Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	A Concise History of Warfare(By: Bernard Montgomery) 1972Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Queen Victoria's Little Wars(By: Byron Farwell) 1972Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	The Peninsular War(By: Roger Parkinson) 1973Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Winston Churchill(By: Henry Pelling) 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Rorke's drift(By: Michael Glover) 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	The Hussar General: The Life of Blücher, Man of Waterloo(By: Roger Parkinson) 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	The Thin Yellow Line(By: William Moore) 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	The Battle of Loos(By: Philip Warner) 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	The English Civil War(By: Peter Young,Richard Holmes) 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	The Great Anglo-Boer War(By: Byron Farwell) 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	Rommel: The Trail of the Fox(By: David Irving) 1977Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	Battle of Britain(With: Max Hastings) 1980Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	The Great War(By: Correlli Barnett) 1980Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	Flying Colours: The Epic Story Of Douglas Bader(By: Laddie Lucas) 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	The Right of the Line(By: John Terraine) 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	The Military Experience In The Age Of Reason(By: Christopher Duffy) 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	The 1916 Battle of the Somme Reconsidered(By: Peter H. Liddle) 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
27	Business In Great Waters(By: John Terraine) 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
28	A Dictionary of Napoleonic Wars(By: David G. Chandler) 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
29	Aramada the Planning the Battle and After(By: Robert Milne Tyte) 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
30	Crusades(By: Robert Payne) 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
31	Slim: The Standardbearer: A Biography of Field-Marshal the Viscount Slim(By: Ronald Lewin) 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
32	Midway(By: Walter Lord) 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
33	Guide to the Battlefields of Europe(By: David Chandler) 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible