
Philip Roth Reading Order
9 series Β· 64 books Β· Born 1933
Philip Roth was an American novelist whose career spanned nearly six decades, establishing him as one of the most significant literary voices of the twentieth century. His novels and short stories, frequently set in Newark, New Jersey, are characterized by their exploration of Jewish and American identity, metafictional blending of autobiography with invention, and prose style marked by psychological complexity and provocative social commentary. Roth created several recurring characters across his works, most notably Nathan Zuckerman and David Kepesh, while his American Trilogy stands among his most celebrated achievements, cementing his legacy as a writer who challenged conventional boundaries between confession and fiction.
American Trilogy Series
Complete3 books (1997β2000)
Start with American Pastoral and read in order.
Start this series with American Pastoral
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | American Pastoral |
| 2 | I Married a Communist |
| 3 | The Human Stain |
Anthologies Series
Complete9 books (1970β2011)
Start with New American Review 10, the first of 9 books in the Anthologies series.
Start this series with New American Review 10
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | New American Review 10 |
| 2 | First Fiction: An Anthology of the First Published Stories by Famous Writers |
| 3 | Tales for Travellers: Short Stories: Collection 1 |
| 4 | The Best American Short Stories of the Century |
| 5 | The Good Parts |
| 6 | Wonderful Town |
| 7 | Baseball As America Seeing Ourselves Through Our National Game |
| 8 | Baseball: a Literary Anthology |
| 9 | Fathers: A Literary Anthology |
David Kepesh Series
Complete3 books (1972β2001)
Start with The Breast and read in order.
Start this series with The Breast
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Breast |
| 2 | The Professor of Desire |
| 3 | The Dying Animal |
Nathan Zuckerman Series
Complete6 books (1974β2007)
Start with My Life as a Man, the first of 6 books in the Nathan Zuckerman series.
Start this series with My Life as a Man
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | My Life as a Man |
| 2 | The Ghost Writer |
| 3 | Zuckerman Unbound |
| 4 | The Anatomy Lesson |
| 5 | The Prague Orgy |
| 6 | Exit Ghost |
Non-Fiction Series
Complete7 books (1975β2017)
Start with Reading Myself and Others, the first of 7 books in the Non-Fiction series.
Start this series with Reading Myself and Others
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Reading Myself and Others |
| 2 | American West's Acid Rain Test |
| 3 | The Facts |
| 4 | Shop Talk |
| 5 | A Writer at Work |
| 6 | Notes For My Biographer |
| 7 | Why Write? |
Selected Shorts Series
Complete17 books (1993β2012)
Start with For Better and for Worse, the first of 17 books in the Selected Shorts series.
Start this series with For Better and for Worse
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | For Better and for Worse |
| 2 | Even More Laughs |
| 3 | Timeless Classics |
| 4 | Edith Wharton |
| 5 | Falling in Love |
| 6 | Family Matters |
| 7 | Food Fictions |
| 8 | Pets! |
| 9 | Tales of Betrayal |
| 10 | Travel Tales |
| 11 | Are We There Yet? |
| 12 | A Touch of Magic |
| 13 | The William Hurt Collection |
| 14 | Whodunit? |
| 15 | American Classics |
| 16 | New American Stories |
| 17 | Poe! |
Short Stories/Novellas Series
Complete1 book (1958β1958)
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Conversion of the Jews |
Short Story Collections Series
Complete2 books (1959β1980)
Start with Goodbye, Columbus and Five Short Stories and read in order.
Start this series with Goodbye, Columbus and Five Short Stories
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Goodbye, Columbus and Five Short Stories |
| 2 | A Philip Roth Reader |
Standalone Novels Series
Complete16 books (1961β2010)
Start with Letting Go, the first of 16 books in the Standalone Novels series.
Start this series with Letting Go
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Letting Go |
| 2 | When She Was Good |
| 3 | Portnoy's Complaint |
| 4 | Our Gang |
| 5 | The Great American Novel |
| 6 | The Counterlife |
| 7 | Deception |
| 8 | Patrimony |
| 9 | Operation Shylock |
| 10 | His Mistress's Voice |
| 11 | Sabbath's Theater |
| 12 | The Plot Against America |
| 13 | Everyman |
| 14 | Indignation |
| 15 | The Humbling |
| 16 | Nemesis |
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many books has Philip Roth written?
- Philip Roth has written 64 books across 9 series. Their published works span from 1958 to 2017.
- What is the first book in each Philip Roth series?
- Here are the first books in Philip Roth's series: American Trilogy: American Pastoral; Anthologies: New American Review 10; David Kepesh: The Breast; Nathan Zuckerman: My Life as a Man; Non-Fiction: Reading Myself and Others.
- What order should I read Philip Roth's books?
- We recommend reading Philip Roth's series in publication order. Each series can be read independently.
- Are Philip Roth's series complete?
- Philip Roth has 9 completed series.

