Olivia Manning Reading Order

4 books (1969–1979)

Olivia Manning appears in four anthology collections published between 1969 and 1979, spanning Winter's Tales 15, Penguin Modern Stories 12, The Colourful World of Cats, and Best for Winter. This complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with Winter's Tales 15. These non-fiction anthologies showcase Manning's work alongside contributions from other writers across the decade.

Start with Winter's Tales 15, the first of 4 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Winter's Tales 15 1969Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Penguin Modern Stories 12 1972Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Colourful World of Cats 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Best for Winter 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (1960–1965)

Olivia Manning's Balkan Trilogy is a complete three-book series published between 1960 and 1965 that should be read in publication order. The novels, beginning with The Great Fortune and continuing through The Spoilt City and Friends and Heroes, follow characters through the tumultuous Balkans during World War II. This sweeping historical fiction captures the region's political upheaval and personal struggles during one of history's most significant periods.

Start with The Great Fortune and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Great Fortune 1960Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Spoilt City 1962Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Friends and Heroes 1965Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (1977–1981)

Olivia Manning's Levant Trilogy is a complete three-book series published between 1977 and 1981, consisting of The Danger Tree, The Battle Lost and Won, and The Sum of Things. These novels should be read in publication order to follow the narrative arc as intended. The series comprises Manning's final major work of fiction set in the Eastern Mediterranean during World War II.

Start with The Danger Tree and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Danger Tree 1977Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Battle Lost and Won 1978Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Sum of Things 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (1967–1967)

1 book (1967–1967)

#	Title
1	A Romantic Hero 1967Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

9 books (1937–1974)

Olivia Manning's collection of nine standalone novels spans from 1937 to 1974 and is now complete. These independent works should be read in publication order, beginning with The Wind Changes. The series encompasses The Wind Changes, The Remarkable Expedition, Artist Among The Missing, The Dreaming Shore, School for Love, A Different Face, The Doves of Venus, The Play Room, and The Rain Forest.

Start with The Wind Changes, the first of 9 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	The Wind Changes 1937Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Remarkable Expedition 1947Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Artist Among The Missing 1949Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Dreaming Shore 1950Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	School for Love 1951Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	A Different Face 1953Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Doves of Venus 1955Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Play Room 1969Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	The Rain Forest 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible