📖 About Hannibal Lecter

Hannibal Lecter is a series universe written by Thomas Harris. The complete collection runs to 4 books across 2 series, published between 1981 and 2006.

The main series is Publication Order of Hannibal Lecter Books with 4 books. It opens with Red Dragon (1981) and currently runs to Hannibal Rising (2006).

Series included on this page:

🎯 Where to Start with Hannibal Lecter

New readers should begin with the first book of the main series in publication order: Red Dragon (1981), book 1 of Publication Order of Hannibal Lecter Books. Reading in publication order lets the world and characters develop the way the author intended, and it avoids spoilers that later books may contain.

If you would rather follow the story timeline instead of the release sequence, a chronological order is listed below. It begins with Hannibal Rising (2006).

Each of the 2 series on this page is expandable — click a series heading to see every title it contains, in order, with a direct link to buy the book on Amazon.

📚 Hannibal Lecter Books in Order

Publication Order of Hannibal Lecter Books
4 books
1
Red Dragon book cover1Red Dragon1981Buy on Amazon
The Silence of the Lambs book cover2The Silence of the Lambs1988Buy on Amazon
Hannibal book cover3Hannibal1999Buy on Amazon
Hannibal Rising book cover4Hannibal Rising2006Buy on Amazon
Chronological Order of Hannibal Lecter Books
4 books
2
Hannibal Rising book cover1Hannibal Rising2006Buy on Amazon
Red Dragon book cover2Red Dragon1981Buy on Amazon
The Silence of the Lambs book cover3The Silence of the Lambs1988Buy on Amazon
Hannibal book cover4Hannibal1999Buy on Amazon

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How many Hannibal Lecter books are there?
There are 4 books in the Hannibal Lecter collection, organised into 2 series and published between 1981 and 2006.
What is the first Hannibal Lecter book?
The first book is Red Dragon, published in 1981.
What order should I read the Hannibal Lecter books in?
Most readers use publication order, which is the order the books were originally released. A chronological order is also provided on this page for readers who prefer to follow the internal timeline of the story.
Who wrote the Hannibal Lecter books?
The Hannibal Lecter books were written by Thomas Harris.
Is the Hannibal Lecter series finished?
The main series, Publication Order of Hannibal Lecter Books, has 4 books so far. The most recent title listed on this page gives the current end point of the series.
When did the Hannibal Lecter series start?
The earliest title in this collection was published in 1981, and the most recent in 2006.