Theodore Dreiser

Theodore Dreiser

6 Series • 28 Books

6
Series
28
Books
6
Active

🎯 Where Should I Start?

Best Starting Point
Publication Order of Trilogy of Desire Books
Start with: The Financier (1912)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
Start with: Sister Carrie (1900)
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Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas
Start with: The Hand of the Potter (1918)

ⓘ About Theodore Dreiser

After he graduated from high school in Warsaw, Indiana, he went to Indiana University in 1889-1890 without receiving his degree. In 1892, he began working as a reporter and a drama critic for newspapers in Toledo, Chicago, St. Louis, New York, and Pittsburgh. During this time he published “The Return of Genius”, his first work of fiction, which appeared in the Chicago Daily Globe under the name of Carl Dreiser. By 1895, he was penning articles for magazines. He’d written pieces on writers like John Burroughs, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Israel Zangwill, and William Dean Howells, and he’d interviewed public figures like Theodore Thomas, Thomas Edison, Andrew Carnegie, and Marshall Field.

All Book Series by Theodore Dreiser

1
The Financier book cover

The Financier

Series opener · book 1 of 3 · published 1912

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1912
2
The Titan book cover

The Titan

Book 2 of 3 · published 1914

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1914
3
The Stoic book cover

The Stoic

Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 1947

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1947
1
Sister Carrie book cover

Sister Carrie

Series opener · book 1 of 6 · published 1900

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1900
2
Jennie Gerhardt book cover

Jennie Gerhardt

Book 2 of 6 · published 1911

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1911
3
The Genius book cover

The Genius

Book 3 of 6 · published 1915

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1915
4
Short Stories book cover

Short Stories

Book 4 of 6 · published 1918

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1918
5
An American Tragedy book cover

An American Tragedy

Book 5 of 6 · published 1925

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1925
6
The Bulwark book cover

The Bulwark

Latest in the series · book 6 of 6 · published 1946

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1946
1
The Hand of the Potter book cover

The Hand of the Potter

Single-title series · published 1918

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1918
1
Best Short Stories of Theodore Dreiser book cover

Best Short Stories of Theodore Dreiser

Series opener · book 1 of 8 · published 1947

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1947
2
Plays of the Natural and the Supernatural book cover

Plays of the Natural and the Supernatural

Book 2 of 8 · published 1970

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1970
3
Fulfilment and Other Tales of Women and Men book cover

Fulfilment and Other Tales of Women and Men

Book 3 of 8 · published 1992

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1992
4
The Color of a Great City book cover

The Color of a Great City

Book 4 of 8 · published 1996

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1996
5
A Picture and a Criticism of Life book cover

A Picture and a Criticism of Life

Book 5 of 8 · published 2007

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2007
6
Letters to Women book cover

Letters to Women

Book 6 of 8 · published 2008

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2008
7
Political Writings book cover

Political Writings

Book 7 of 8 · published 2010

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2010
8
American Diaries, 1902-1926 book cover

American Diaries, 1902-1926

Latest in the series · book 8 of 8 · published 2015

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2015
1
A Traveler At Forty book cover

A Traveler At Forty

Series opener · book 1 of 7 · published 1913

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1913
2
Twelve Men book cover

Twelve Men

Book 2 of 7 · published 1919

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1919
3
A Book about Myself book cover

A Book about Myself

Book 3 of 7 · published 1922

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1922
4
Dreiser's Russian Diary book cover

Dreiser's Russian Diary

Book 4 of 7 · published 1928

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1928
5
Harlan Miners Speak: Report on Terrorism in the Kentucky Coal Fields book cover

Harlan Miners Speak: Report on Terrorism in the Kentucky Coal Fields

Book 5 of 7 · published 1932 Co-authored · Sherwood Anderson,John Dos Passos

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1932
6
Newspaper Days book cover

Newspaper Days

Book 6 of 7 · published 1991

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1991
7
Dawn book cover

Dawn

Latest in the series · book 7 of 7 · published 1998

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1998
1
50 Great American Short Stories book cover

50 Great American Short Stories

Series opener · book 1 of 3 · published 1963

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1963
2
Writing New York book cover

Writing New York

Book 2 of 3 · published 1998

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1998
3
Classic Horror Stories book cover

Classic Horror Stories

Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 2024

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2024

? Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Theodore Dreiser?

After he graduated from high school in Warsaw, Indiana, he went to Indiana University in 1889-1890 without receiving his degree. In 1892, he began working as a reporter and a drama critic for newspapers in Toledo, Chicago, St. Louis, New York, and Pittsburgh.

Which Theodore Dreiser series should I start with?

The best place to start is the Trilogy of Desire series, the earliest of Theodore Dreiser's multi-book series: it opens with The Financier (1912) and runs to 3 books across 1912–1947, ending with The Stoic (1947).

How many books has Theodore Dreiser written?

Theodore Dreiser has 28 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1900 and 2024. 3 of them belong to 1 named series — the largest being the Trilogy of Desire series with 3 books — and 25 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.

In what order should Theodore Dreiser's series be read?

Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Theodore Dreiser's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Trilogy of Desire (1912–1947, 3 books).

How are Theodore Dreiser's books organised into series?

This guide splits Theodore Dreiser's 28 books into 1 named series and 25 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Trilogy of Desire (3 books, 1912–1947).