📖 About The Culture

The Culture is a series universe written by Iain M. Banks. The complete collection runs to 11 books across 1 series, published between 1987 and 2023.

The main series is Publication Order of Culture Books with 11 books. It opens with Consider Phlebas (1987) and currently runs to The Culture: The Drawings (2023).

Series included on this page:

🎯 Where to Start with The Culture

New readers should begin with the first book of the main series in publication order: Consider Phlebas (1987), book 1 of Publication Order of Culture 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.

Each of the 1 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.

📚 The Culture Books in Order

Publication Order of Culture Books
11 books
1
Consider Phlebas book cover1Consider Phlebas1987Buy on Amazon
The Player of Games book cover2The Player of Games1988Buy on Amazon
The State of the Art book cover3The State of the Art1989Buy on Amazon
Use of Weapons book cover4Use of Weapons1990Buy on Amazon
Excession book cover5Excession1996Buy on Amazon
Inversions book cover6Inversions1998Buy on Amazon
Look to Windward book cover7Look to Windward2000Buy on Amazon
Matter book cover8Matter2008Buy on Amazon
Surface Detail book cover9Surface Detail2010Buy on Amazon
The Hydrogen Sonata book cover10The Hydrogen Sonata2012Buy on Amazon
The Culture: The Drawings book cover11The Culture: The Drawings2023Buy on Amazon

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How many The Culture books are there?
There are 11 books in the The Culture collection, organised into 1 series and published between 1987 and 2023.
What is the first The Culture book?
The first book is Consider Phlebas, published in 1987.
What order should I read the The Culture 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 The Culture books?
The The Culture books were written by Iain M. Banks.
Is the The Culture series finished?
The main series, Publication Order of Culture Books, has 11 books so far. The most recent title listed on this page gives the current end point of the series.
When did the The Culture series start?
The earliest title in this collection was published in 1987, and the most recent in 2023.