🎯 Where Should I Start?
Best Starting Point
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
Start with: The Gladiators (1939)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Plays
Start with: Twilight Bar (1945)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books
Start with: Spanish Testament (1937)
ⓘ About Arthur Koestler
Apart from his early school years, was educated in Austria, and his early career was in journalism. In September of 1922, he enrolled in the Vienna Polytechnic University in order to study engineering, and joined a Zionist duelling student frat, ‘Unitas’. When his dad’s latest business flopped, Koestler had to stop attending lectures, and got expelled for non-payment of his fees. In March of 1926, he told his parents in a letter telling them that he was heading to Mandate Palestine for one year to work as an assistant engineer in a factory, in order to gain some experience that would help him get a job in Austria. On April 1, 1926 he left Vienna to go to Palestine.
All Book Series by Arthur Koestler
1
The Gladiators
Series opener · book 1 of 6 · published 1939
Buy on Amazon1939
2
Darkness at Noon
Book 2 of 6 · published 1940
Buy on Amazon1940
3
Arrival and Departure
Book 3 of 6 · published 1943
Buy on Amazon1943
4
Thieves in the Night
Book 4 of 6 · published 1946
Buy on Amazon1946
5
The Age of Longing
Book 5 of 6 · published 1951
Buy on Amazon1951
6
The Call-Girls
Latest in the series · book 6 of 6 · published 1972
Buy on Amazon1972
1
Twilight Bar
Single-title series · published 1945
Buy on Amazon1945
1
Spanish Testament
Series opener · book 1 of 31 · published 1937
Buy on Amazon1937
2
Scum of the Earth
Book 2 of 31 · published 1941
Buy on Amazon1941
3
Dialogue with Death
Book 3 of 31 · published 1942
Buy on Amazon1942
4
The Yogi and the Commissar and Other Essays
Book 4 of 31 · published 1945
Buy on Amazon1945
5
Promise and Fulfilment: Palestine 1917-1949
Book 5 of 31 · published 1949
Buy on Amazon1949
6
The God That Failed
Book 6 of 31 · published 1949
Buy on Amazon1949
7
Insight and Outlook
Book 7 of 31 · published 1949
Buy on Amazon1949
8
Arrow in the Blue
Book 8 of 31 · published 1952
Buy on Amazon1952
9
The Trail of the Dinosaur
Book 9 of 31 · published 1952
Buy on Amazon1952
10
The Invisible Writing
Book 10 of 31 · published 1954
Buy on Amazon1954
11
Reflections on Hanging
Book 11 of 31 · published 1956
Buy on Amazon1956
12
The Sleepwalkers
Book 12 of 31 · published 1959
Buy on Amazon1959
13
The Lotus and the Robot
Book 13 of 31 · published 1960
Buy on Amazon1960
14
The Watershed
Book 14 of 31 · published 1960
Buy on Amazon1960
15
Hanged by the Neck
Book 15 of 31 · published 1961
Buy on Amazon1961
16
Suicide of a Nation
Book 16 of 31 · published 1963
Buy on Amazon1963
17
The Act of Creation
Book 17 of 31 · published 1964
Buy on Amazon1964
18
The Ghost in the Machine
Book 18 of 31 · published 1967
Buy on Amazon1967
19
Drinkers of Infinity: Essays 1955-1967
Book 19 of 31 · published 1968
Buy on Amazon1968
20
The Case of the Midwife Toad
Book 20 of 31 · published 1971
Buy on Amazon1971
21
The Roots of Coincidence
Book 21 of 31 · published 1972
Buy on Amazon1972
22
Beyond Reductionism
Book 22 of 31 · published 1972
Buy on Amazon1972
23
The Lion and the Ostrich
Book 23 of 31 · published 1973
Buy on Amazon1973
24
The Heel of Achilles; Essays 1968-1973
Book 24 of 31 · published 1974
Buy on Amazon1974
25
Astride the Two Cultures
Book 25 of 31 · published 1975
Buy on Amazon1975
26
The Thirteenth Tribe
Book 26 of 31 · published 1976
Buy on Amazon1976
27
Twentieth Century Views
Book 27 of 31 · published 1977
Buy on Amazon1977
28
Janus: A Summing Up
Book 28 of 31 · published 1978
Buy on Amazon1978
30
Bricks to Babel
Book 30 of 31 · published 1982
Buy on Amazon1982
31
Stranger on the Square
Latest in the series · book 31 of 31 · published 1984 Co-authored · Cynthia Koestler
Buy on Amazon1984
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Arthur Koestler?
Apart from his early school years, was educated in Austria, and his early career was in journalism. In September of 1922, he enrolled in the Vienna Polytechnic University in order to study engineering, and joined a Zionist duelling student frat, ‘Unitas’. When his dad’s latest business flopped, Koestler had to stop attending lectures, and got expelled for non-payment of his fees.
Which Arthur Koestler series should I start with?
Arthur Koestler's books stand alone rather than forming a numbered series, so there is no reading order to follow. The natural first pick is The Gladiators (1939).
How many books has Arthur Koestler written?
Arthur Koestler has 38 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1937 and 1984. They are filed under 3 categories rather than in numbered series — chiefly Non-Fiction, Standalone Novels and Plays.
In what order should Arthur Koestler's series be read?
No reading order is needed: none of the 38 books catalogued here do not form a numbered series, so any title can be picked up first. Within each category they are listed by publication year.
How are Arthur Koestler's books organised into series?
This guide splits Arthur Koestler's 38 books into categories rather than numbered series: Non-Fiction (31 books); Standalone Novels (6 books); Plays (1 book).