🎯 Where Should I Start?
Best Starting Point
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
Start with: The Broom of the System (1987)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas
Start with: Forever Overhead (2008)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Collections
Start with: Girl With Curious Hair (1989)
ⓘ About David Foster Wallace
David Foster Wallace was a literary fiction author, essayist and satirical author that was best known for his novel “The Broom of the System.” The author was born in Ithaca New York in 1962 and died in 2008. James, his father, was a philosophy major and when he was three years old, his father got employment as a professor at the University of Illinois. Sally, his mother, was an English teacher who encouraged reading and hence Wallace and Amy, his younger sister were brought up in a home with a reading culture. His mother usually brought home the “Encyclopaedia Britannica” that the entire family would read through. As a twelve year old at Amherst, he was a winner of a local poetry contest when he wrote a poem titled “Did you know that rats breed there?
All Book Series by David Foster Wallace
1
The Broom of the System
Series opener · book 1 of 4 · published 1987
Buy on Amazon1987
4
Something to Do with Paying Attention
Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 2022
Buy on Amazon2022
1
Forever Overhead
Single-title series · published 2008
Buy on Amazon2008
1
Girl With Curious Hair
Series opener · book 1 of 5 · published 1989
Buy on Amazon1989
2
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
Book 2 of 5 · published 1999
Buy on Amazon1999
5
The David Foster Wallace Reader
Latest in the series · book 5 of 5 · published 2014
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1
Signifying Rappers
Series opener · book 1 of 15 · published 1990
Buy on Amazon1990
2
The Future of Fiction
Book 2 of 15 · published 1996
Buy on Amazon1996
3
Review of Contemporary Fiction
Book 3 of 15 · published 1996
Buy on Amazon1996
4
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again
Book 4 of 15 · published 1997
Buy on Amazon1997
5
McCain's Promise
Book 5 of 15 · published 2000
Buy on Amazon2000
7
Everything and More
Book 7 of 15 · published 2003
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8
Consider the Lobster and Other Essays
Book 8 of 15 · published 2005
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10
Fate, Time, and Language
Book 10 of 15 · published 2010
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11
Getting Away from Already Being Pretty Much Away from It All
Book 11 of 15 · published 2012
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12
Both Flesh and Not
Book 12 of 15 · published 2012
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13
Quack This Way
Book 13 of 15 · published 2013
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15
David Foster Wallace: In His Own Words
Latest in the series · book 15 of 15 · published 2014
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1
San Francisco Noir
Series opener · book 1 of 121 · published 2002
Buy on Amazon2002
6
Brooklyn Noir 2
Book 6 of 121 · published 2005
Buy on Amazon2005
9
Manhattan Noir
Book 9 of 121 · published 2006
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12
Baltimore Noir
Book 12 of 121 · published 2006
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13
Twin Cities Noir
Book 13 of 121 · published 2006
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15
New Orleans Noir
Book 15 of 121 · published 2007
Buy on Amazon2007
16
Los Angeles Noir
Book 16 of 121 · published 2007
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17
Wall Street Noir
Book 17 of 121 · published 2007
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19
Detroit Noir
Book 19 of 121 · published 2007
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21
Brooklyn Noir 3: Nothing But the Truth
Book 21 of 121 · published 2008
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22
Toronto Noir
Book 22 of 121 · published 2008
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23
Las Vegas Noir
Book 23 of 121 · published 2008
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24
Trinidad Noir
Book 24 of 121 · published 2008
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26
Manhattan Noir 2
Book 26 of 121 · published 2008
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28
Istanbul Noir
Book 28 of 121 · published 2008
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31
San Francisco Noir 2
Book 31 of 121 · published 2009
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32
Portland Noir
Book 32 of 121 · published 2009
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34
Phoenix Noir
Book 34 of 121 · published 2009
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35
Los Angeles Noir 2
Book 35 of 121 · published 2010
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36
Mexico City Noir
Book 36 of 121 · published 2010
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37
Richmond Noir
Book 37 of 121 · published 2010
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38
Orange County Noir
Book 38 of 121 · published 2010
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39
Indian Country Noir
Book 39 of 121 · published 2010
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41
Lone Star Noir
Book 41 of 121 · published 2010
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42
Philadelphia Noir
Book 42 of 121 · published 2010
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44
Copenhagen Noir
Book 44 of 121 · published 2010
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45
Pittsburgh Noir
Book 45 of 121 · published 2011
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46
San Diego Noir
Book 46 of 121 · published 2011
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47
Barcelona Noir
Book 47 of 121 · published 2011
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48
Cape Cod Noir
Book 48 of 121 · published 2011
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49
New Jersey Noir
Book 49 of 121 · published 2011
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50
Staten Island Noir
Book 50 of 121 · published 2012
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52
Long Island Noir
Book 52 of 121 · published 2012
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54
Kingston Noir
Book 54 of 121 · published 2012
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55
St. Petersburg Noir
Book 55 of 121 · published 2012
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56
Kansas City Noir
Book 56 of 121 · published 2012
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57
Boston Noir 2
Book 57 of 121 · published 2012
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60
Buffalo Noir
Book 60 of 121 · published 2013
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62
Haiti Noir 2
Book 62 of 121 · published 2013
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63
Singapore Noir
Book 63 of 121 · published 2014
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65
Tel Aviv Noir
Book 65 of 121 · published 2014
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67
Belfast Noir
Book 67 of 121 · published 2014
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68
Helsinki Noir
Book 68 of 121 · published 2014
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70
Providence Noir
Book 70 of 121 · published 2015
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71
Chicago Noir: The Classics
Book 71 of 121 · published 2015
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72
Memphis Noir
Book 72 of 121 · published 2015
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74
Marseille Noir
Book 74 of 121 · published 2015
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76
New Orleans Noir: The Classics
Book 76 of 121 · published 2016
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77
Stockholm Noir
Book 77 of 121 · published 2016
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78
Brussels Noir
Book 78 of 121 · published 2016
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79
Mississippi Noir
Book 79 of 121 · published 2016
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80
St. Louis Noir
Book 80 of 121 · published 2016
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82
San Juan Noir
Book 82 of 121 · published 2016
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83
Oakland Noir
Book 83 of 121 · published 2017
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84
Trinidad Noir: The Classics
Book 84 of 121 · published 2017
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85
Atlanta Noir
Book 85 of 121 · published 2017
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86
New Haven Noir
Book 86 of 121 · published 2017
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87
Montana Noir
Book 87 of 121 · published 2017
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88
Buenos Aires Noir
Book 88 of 121 · published 2017
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89
Montreal Noir
Book 89 of 121 · published 2017
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91
São Paulo Noir
Book 91 of 121 · published 2018
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92
Santa Cruz Noir
Book 92 of 121 · published 2018
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94
Marrakech Noir
Book 94 of 121 · published 2018
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95
Baghdad Noir
Book 95 of 121 · published 2018
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96
Vancouver Noir
Book 96 of 121 · published 2018
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98
Hong Kong Noir
Book 98 of 121 · published 2018
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99
Amsterdam Noir
Book 99 of 121 · published 2019
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100
Milwaukee Noir
Book 100 of 121 · published 2019
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101
Houston Noir
Book 101 of 121 · published 2019
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102
Nairobi Noir
Book 102 of 121 · published 2020
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103
Columbus Noir
Book 103 of 121 · published 2020
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104
Santa Fe Noir
Book 104 of 121 · published 2020
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105
Alabama Noir
Book 105 of 121 · published 2020
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106
Berkeley Noir
Book 106 of 121 · published 2020
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107
Addis Ababa Noir
Book 107 of 121 · published 2020
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108
Tampa Bay Noir
Book 108 of 121 · published 2020
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109
Miami Noir: The Classics
Book 109 of 121 · published 2020
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110
Accra Noir
Book 110 of 121 · published 2020
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111
Belgrade Noir
Book 111 of 121 · published 2020
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112
Palm Springs Noir
Book 112 of 121 · published 2021
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113
Paris Noir: The Suburbs
Book 113 of 121 · published 2022
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114
Denver Noir
Book 114 of 121 · published 2022
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115
South Central Noir
Book 115 of 121 · published 2022
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116
Cleveland Noir
Book 116 of 121 · published 2023
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117
East Jerusalem Noir
Book 117 of 121 · published 2023
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118
West Jerusalem Noir
Book 118 of 121 · published 2023
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119
Honolulu Noir
Book 119 of 121 · published 2024
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120
Sacramento Noir
Book 120 of 121 · published 2025
Buy on Amazon2025
121
Hamburg Noir
Latest in the series · book 121 of 121 · published 2025
Buy on Amazon2025
1
Learning To Live Finally
Series opener · book 1 of 41 · published 2005 Anthology · Jacques Derrida
Buy on Amazon2005
2
Roberto Bolaño
Book 2 of 41 · published 2009 Anthology · Roberto Bolaño
Buy on Amazon2009
3
Kurt Vonnegut
Book 3 of 41 · published 2011 Anthology · Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Buy on Amazon2011
4
Jorge Luis Borges
Book 4 of 41 · published 2012 Anthology · Jorge Luis Borges
Buy on Amazon2012
5
Hannah Arendt
Book 5 of 41 · published 2013 Anthology · Hannah Arendt
Buy on Amazon2013
6
David Foster Wallace: In His Own Words
Book 6 of 41 · published 2014
Buy on Amazon2014
7
James Baldwin
Book 7 of 41 · published 2014 Anthology · James Baldwin,Quincy Troupe
Buy on Amazon2014
8
Ray Bradbury
Book 8 of 41 · published 2014 Anthology · Ray Bradbury,Sam Weller
Buy on Amazon2014
9
Gabriel García Márquez
Book 9 of 41 · published 2015 Anthology · Gabriel García Márquez
Buy on Amazon2015
10
Lou Reed
Book 10 of 41 · published 2015 Anthology · Lou Reed
Buy on Amazon2015
11
Ernest Hemingway
Book 11 of 41 · published 2015 Anthology · Ernest Hemingway
Buy on Amazon2015
12
Nora Ephron
Book 12 of 41 · published 2015 Anthology · Nora Ephron
Buy on Amazon2015
13
Philip K. Dick
Book 13 of 41 · published 2015 Anthology · Philip K. Dick
Buy on Amazon2015
14
J. D. Salinger
Book 14 of 41 · published 2016 Anthology · J.D. Salinger
Buy on Amazon2016
15
Oliver Sacks
Book 15 of 41 · published 2016 Anthology · Oliver Sacks
Buy on Amazon2016
16
Jane Jacobs
Book 16 of 41 · published 2016 Anthology · Jane Jacobs
Buy on Amazon2016
17
David Bowie
Book 17 of 41 · published 2016 Anthology · David Bowie
Buy on Amazon2016
18
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Book 18 of 41 · published 2017 Anthology · Martin Luther King Jr.
Buy on Amazon2017
19
Christopher Hitchens
Book 19 of 41 · published 2017 Anthology · Christopher Hitchens
Buy on Amazon2017
20
Hunter S. Thompson
Book 20 of 41 · published 2018 Anthology · Hunter S. Thompson
Buy on Amazon2018
21
Kathy Acker
Book 21 of 41 · published 2018 Anthology · Kathy Acker
Buy on Amazon2018
22
Julia Child
Book 22 of 41 · published 2018 Anthology · Julia Child
Buy on Amazon2018
23
Ursula K. Le Guin
Book 23 of 41 · published 2019 Anthology · Ursula K. Le Guin
Buy on Amazon2019
24
Prince
Book 24 of 41 · published 2019 Anthology · Prince
Buy on Amazon2019
25
Billie Holiday
Book 25 of 41 · published 2019 Anthology · Billie Holiday
Buy on Amazon2019
26
Anthony Bourdain
Book 26 of 41 · published 2019 Anthology · Anthony Bourdain,Helen Rosner
Buy on Amazon2019
27
Graham Greene
Book 27 of 41 · published 2019 Anthology · Graham Greene
Buy on Amazon2019
28
Toni Morrison
Book 28 of 41 · published 2020 Anthology · Toni Morrison
Buy on Amazon2020
29
Frida Kahlo
Book 29 of 41 · published 2020 Anthology · Frida Kahlo
Buy on Amazon2020
30
Marilyn Monroe
Book 30 of 41 · published 2020 Anthology · Melville House,Sady Doyle
Buy on Amazon2020
31
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Book 31 of 41 · published 2020 Anthology · Melville House
Buy on Amazon2020
32
Shirley Chisholm
Book 32 of 41 · published 2021 Anthology · Shirley Chisholm
Buy on Amazon2021
33
The Last Interview
Book 33 of 41 · published 2021 Anthology · Fred Rogers
Buy on Amazon2021
34
Fred Rogers
Book 34 of 41 · published 2021 Anthology · Fred Rogers
Buy on Amazon2021
35
Johnny Cash
Book 35 of 41 · published 2021 Anthology · Johnny Cash
Buy on Amazon2021
36
John Lewis
Book 36 of 41 · published 2021 Anthology · Melville House
Buy on Amazon2021
37
Janet Malcolm
Book 37 of 41 · published 2022 Anthology · Melville House
Buy on Amazon2022
38
Diego Maradona
Book 38 of 41 · published 2022 Anthology · Melville House
Buy on Amazon2022
39
Kurt Cobain
Book 39 of 41 · published 2022 Anthology · Melville House
Buy on Amazon2022
40
Bell Hooks
Book 40 of 41 · published 2023 Anthology · bell hooks
Buy on Amazon2023
41
Octavia E. Butler
Latest in the series · book 41 of 41 · published 2023 Anthology · Melville House
Buy on Amazon2023
1
Open City #5: Change or Die
Series opener · book 1 of 10 · published 1997
Buy on Amazon1997
3
The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories
Book 3 of 10 · published 2004
Buy on Amazon2004
4
The Best American Essays 2005
Book 4 of 10 · published 2005
Buy on Amazon2005
5
Touchstone Anthology of Contemporary Creative Nonfiction
Book 5 of 10 · published 2007
Buy on Amazon2007
6
Thomas Demand: L'Esprit d'Escalier
Book 6 of 10 · published 2007
Buy on Amazon2007
7
The Best American Essays 2007
Book 7 of 10 · published 2007
Buy on Amazon2007
8
Conversaciones con David Foster Wallace
Book 8 of 10 · published 2012
Buy on Amazon2012
9
Way More than Luck
Book 9 of 10 · published 2015
Buy on Amazon2015
10
Conceptualisms
Latest in the series · book 10 of 10 · published 2022
Buy on Amazon2022
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is David Foster Wallace?
David Foster Wallace was a literary fiction author, essayist and satirical author that was best known for his novel “The Broom of the System.” The author was born in Ithaca New York in 1962 and died in 2008. James, his father, was a philosophy major and when he was three years old, his father got employment as a professor at the University of Illinois. Sally, his mother, was an English teacher who encouraged reading and hence Wallace and Amy, his younger sister were brought up in a home with a reading culture.
Which David Foster Wallace series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Akashic Noir series, the earliest of David Foster Wallace's multi-book series: it opens with San Francisco Noir (2002) and runs to 121 books across 2002–2025, ending with Hamburg Noir (2025). David Foster Wallace's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has David Foster Wallace written?
David Foster Wallace has 197 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1987 and 2025. 162 of them belong to 2 named series — the largest being the Akashic Noir series with 121 books — and 35 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should David Foster Wallace's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. David Foster Wallace's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Akashic Noir (2002–2025, 121 books) and The Last Interview (2005–2023, 41 books).
How are David Foster Wallace's books organised into series?
This guide splits David Foster Wallace's 197 books into 2 named series and 35 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Akashic Noir (121 books, 2002–2025); The Last Interview (41 books, 2005–2023).
