Author · updated 2026
John Mortimer Books in Order
Every John Mortimer book in publication order — 48 in total, spanning 1947–2011.
Publication Order of Rumpole of the Bailey Books
| # | Title | Year | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Rumpole of the Bailey | 1978 | Amazon US UK |
| 2 |  Rumpole�� Return | 1980 | Amazon US UK |
| 3 |  The Trials of Rumpole | 1981 | Amazon US UK |
| 4 |  Regina V. Rumpole | 1981 | Amazon US UK |
| 5 |  Rumpole for the Defence | 1982 | Amazon US UK |
| 6 |  Rumpole and the Golden Thread | 1983 | Amazon US UK |
| 7 | Rumpole for the Prosecution | 1986 | Amazon US UK |
| 8 | Rumpole's Last Case | 1988 | Amazon US UK |
| 9 | Rumpole and the Age of Miracles | 1989 | Amazon US UK |
| 10 | Rumpole and the Age for Retirement | 1989 | Amazon US UK |
| 11 | Rumpole a La Carte | 1991 | Amazon US UK |
| 12 |  Rumpole on Trial | 1992 | Amazon US UK |
| 13 |  The Best of Rumpole | 1993 | Amazon US UK |
| 14 | Rumpole and the Younger Generation | 1995 | Amazon US UK |
| 15 |  Rumpole and the Angel of Death | 1995 | Amazon US UK |
| 16 |  Rumpole Rests His Case | 2002 | Amazon US UK |
| 17 |  Rumpole and the Primrose Path | 2003 | Amazon US UK |
| 18 |  Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders | 2004 | Amazon US UK |
| 19 |  Rumpole and the Reign of Terror | 2006 | Amazon US UK |
| 20 |  The Anti-social Behaviour of Horace Rumpole | 2007 | Amazon US UK |
| 21 |  Rumpole Misbehaves | 2007 | Amazon US UK |
| 22 |  Rumpole at Christmas | 2009 | Amazon US UK |
| 23 |  A Rumpole Christmas | 2009 | Amazon US UK |
| 24 |  Forever Rumpole | 2011 | Amazon US UK |
Publication Order of Rapstone Chronicles Books
| # | Title | Year | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Paradise Postponed | 1985 | Amazon US UK |
| 2 |  Titmuss Regained Tie In | 1990 | Amazon US UK |
| 3 |  The Sound of Trumpets | 1998 | Amazon US UK |
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
| # | Title | Year | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charade | 1947 | Amazon US UK |
| 2 |  Like Men Betrayed | 1953 | Amazon US UK |
| 3 |  The Narrowing Stream | 1954 | Amazon US UK |
| 4 |  Summer's Lease | 1985 | Amazon US UK |
| 5 |  Dunster | 1992 | Amazon US UK |
| 6 |  Felix In The Underworld | 1996 | Amazon US UK |
| 7 |  Quite Honestly | 2005 | Amazon US UK |
Publication Order of Chapbooks
| # | Title | Year | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  The Scales of Justice | 2005 | Amazon US UK |
Publication Order of Plays
| # | Title | Year | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  A Voyage Round My Father. John Mortimer | 1971 | Amazon US UK |
Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books
| # | Title | Year | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  The Fear Of Heaven | 1978 | Amazon US UK |
| 2 |  Clinging to the Wreckage | 1982 | Amazon US UK |
| 3 |  Character Parts | 1986 | Amazon US UK |
| 4 |  The Oxford Book of Villains | 1992 | Amazon US UK |
| 5 |  Murderers and Other Friends | 1994 | Amazon US UK |
| 6 |  The Summer of a Dormouse | 2000 | Amazon US UK |
| 7 |  Where There's a Will | 2003 | Amazon US UK |
| 8 |  Zerah Colburn - Spirit of Darkness | 2005 | Amazon US UK |
| 9 |  In Other Words | 2008 | Amazon US UK |
Publication Order of Anthologies
| # | Title | Year | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Great Law and Order Stories | 1990 | Amazon US UK |
| 2 |  Death Cruise: Crime Stories on the Open Seas | 1999 | Amazon US UK |
| 3 |  A Christmas Anthology | 2011 | Amazon US UK |
Every title by year All 48, oldest to newest
| # | Title | Year | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charade | 1947 | Amazon US UK |
| 2 | Like Men Betrayed | 1953 | Amazon US UK |
| 3 | The Narrowing Stream | 1954 | Amazon US UK |
| 4 | A Voyage Round My Father. John Mortimer | 1971 | Amazon US UK |
| 5 | Rumpole of the Bailey | 1978 | Amazon US UK |
| 6 | The Fear Of Heaven | 1978 | Amazon US UK |
| 7 | Rumpole�� Return | 1980 | Amazon US UK |
| 8 | The Trials of Rumpole | 1981 | Amazon US UK |
| 9 | Regina V. Rumpole | 1981 | Amazon US UK |
| 10 | Rumpole for the Defence | 1982 | Amazon US UK |
| 11 | Clinging to the Wreckage | 1982 | Amazon US UK |
| 12 | Rumpole and the Golden Thread | 1983 | Amazon US UK |
| 13 | Paradise Postponed | 1985 | Amazon US UK |
| 14 | Summer's Lease | 1985 | Amazon US UK |
| 15 | Rumpole for the Prosecution | 1986 | Amazon US UK |
| 16 | Character Parts | 1986 | Amazon US UK |
| 17 | Rumpole's Last Case | 1988 | Amazon US UK |
| 18 | Rumpole and the Age of Miracles | 1989 | Amazon US UK |
| 19 | Rumpole and the Age for Retirement | 1989 | Amazon US UK |
| 20 | Titmuss Regained Tie In | 1990 | Amazon US UK |
| 21 | Great Law and Order Stories | 1990 | Amazon US UK |
| 22 | Rumpole a La Carte | 1991 | Amazon US UK |
| 23 | Rumpole on Trial | 1992 | Amazon US UK |
| 24 | Dunster | 1992 | Amazon US UK |
| 25 | The Oxford Book of Villains | 1992 | Amazon US UK |
| 26 | The Best of Rumpole | 1993 | Amazon US UK |
| 27 | Murderers and Other Friends | 1994 | Amazon US UK |
| 28 | Rumpole and the Younger Generation | 1995 | Amazon US UK |
| 29 | Rumpole and the Angel of Death | 1995 | Amazon US UK |
| 30 | Felix In The Underworld | 1996 | Amazon US UK |
| 31 | The Sound of Trumpets | 1998 | Amazon US UK |
| 32 | Death Cruise: Crime Stories on the Open Seas | 1999 | Amazon US UK |
| 33 | The Summer of a Dormouse | 2000 | Amazon US UK |
| 34 | Rumpole Rests His Case | 2002 | Amazon US UK |
| 35 | Rumpole and the Primrose Path | 2003 | Amazon US UK |
| 36 | Where There's a Will | 2003 | Amazon US UK |
| 37 | Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders | 2004 | Amazon US UK |
| 38 | Quite Honestly | 2005 | Amazon US UK |
| 39 | The Scales of Justice | 2005 | Amazon US UK |
| 40 | Zerah Colburn - Spirit of Darkness | 2005 | Amazon US UK |
| 41 | Rumpole and the Reign of Terror | 2006 | Amazon US UK |
| 42 | The Anti-social Behaviour of Horace Rumpole | 2007 | Amazon US UK |
| 43 | Rumpole Misbehaves | 2007 | Amazon US UK |
| 44 | In Other Words | 2008 | Amazon US UK |
| 45 | Rumpole at Christmas | 2009 | Amazon US UK |
| 46 | A Rumpole Christmas | 2009 | Amazon US UK |
| 47 | Forever Rumpole | 2011 | Amazon US UK |
| 48 | A Christmas Anthology | 2011 | Amazon US UK |
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