Len Deighton

Born Leonard Cyril Deighton on 18th February 1929, Len Deighton is a British novelist, military historian and graphic artist primarily known for 'The IPCRESS File; a novel that was adapted into a movie (starring Michael Caine). +Biography Len Deighton grew up in Marylebone, London; born to a chauffeur and mechanic (his father) and a part time cook (his mother), Len has often spoken of witnessing the arrest of Anna Wolkoff, a Nazi Spy, and the impact it had with regards to sparking his interest in spy stories at the tender age of 11. Len worked as Railway Clerk shortly after leaving school.

The best place to start is the Wordsworth Military Library series, the earliest of Len Deighton's multi-book series: it opens with The Drama Of The Scharnhorst (1951) and runs to 33 books across 1951–2007, ending with Guide to the Battlefields of Europe (2007). Len Deighton's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.

Len Deighton has 76 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1951 and 2026. 51 of them belong to 3 named series — the largest being the Wordsworth Military Library series with 33 books — and 25 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.

Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Len Deighton's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Wordsworth Military Library (1951–2007, 33 books), Harry Palmer (1962–2026, 8 books) and Bernard Samson (1983–1996, 10 books).

This guide splits Len Deighton's 76 books into 3 named series and 25 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Wordsworth Military Library (33 books, 1951–2007); Bernard Samson (10 books, 1983–1996); Harry Palmer (8 books, 1962–2026).