Series reading guide · updated 2026
James Bond Books in Order
Every James Bond book in publication order — 50 in total, spanning 1953–2018.
James Bond — Agent 007 — first walked into a casino in Ian Fleming's 1953 novel and never left the culture again. Fleming wrote fourteen Bond books before his death in 1964; the series later continued through other authors and, most famously, on screen in the longest-running film franchise in history. What you'll find below is the original literary run, in the order Fleming published it — leaner, darker and more psychologically raw than the movies that grew out of it.
Publication Order of James Bond Books
| # | Title | Year | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Casino Royale — Ian Fleming | 1953 | Amazon US UK |
| 2 | Live and Let Die — Ian Fleming | 1954 | Amazon US UK |
| 3 | Moonraker — Ian Fleming | 1955 | Amazon US UK |
| 4 | Diamonds Are Forever — Ian Fleming | 1956 | Amazon US UK |
| 5 | From Russia with Love — Ian Fleming | 1957 | Amazon US UK |
| 6 | Doctor No — Ian Fleming | 1958 | Amazon US UK |
| 7 | Goldfinger — Ian Fleming | 1959 | Amazon US UK |
| 8 | For Your Eyes Only — Ian Fleming | 1960 | Amazon US UK |
| 9 | Thunderball — Ian Fleming | 1961 | Amazon US UK |
| 10 | The Spy Who Loved Me — Ian Fleming | 1962 | Amazon US UK |
| 11 | The Living Daylights — Ian Fleming | 1962 | Amazon US UK |
| 12 | On Her Majesty's Secret Service — Ian Fleming | 1963 | Amazon US UK |
| 13 | You Only Live Twice — Ian Fleming | 1964 | Amazon US UK |
| 14 | The Man with the Golden Gun — Ian Fleming | 1965 | Amazon US UK |
| 15 | The James Bond Dossier — Kingsley Amis | 1965 | Amazon US UK |
| 16 | Octopussy and The Living Daylights — Ian Fleming | 1966 | Amazon US UK |
| 17 | Colonel Sun — Kingsley Amis | 1968 | Amazon US UK |
| 18 | License Renewed — John Gardner | 1981 | Amazon US UK |
| 19 | For Special Services — John Gardner | 1982 | Amazon US UK |
| 20 | Icebreaker — John Gardner | 1983 | Amazon US UK |
| 21 | The James Bond Bedside Companion — Raymond Benson | 1984 | Amazon US UK |
| 22 | Role of Honor — John Gardner | 1984 | Amazon US UK |
| 23 | Nobody Lives Forever — John Gardner | 1986 | Amazon US UK |
| 24 | No Deals, Mr. Bond — John Gardner | 1987 | Amazon US UK |
| 25 | Scorpius — John Gardner | 1988 | Amazon US UK |
| 26 | Licence to Kill — John Gardner | 1989 | Amazon US UK |
| 27 | Win, Lose or Die — John Gardner | 1989 | Amazon US UK |
| 28 | Brokenclaw — John Gardner | 1990 | Amazon US UK |
| 29 | The Man from Barbarossa — John Gardner | 1991 | Amazon US UK |
| 30 | Death Is Forever — John Gardner | 1992 | Amazon US UK |
| 31 | Never Send Flowers — John Gardner | 1993 | Amazon US UK |
| 32 | SeaFire — John Gardner | 1994 | Amazon US UK |
| 33 | GoldenEye — John Gardner | 1995 | Amazon US UK |
| 34 | Cold Fall — John Gardner | 1996 | Amazon US UK |
| 35 | Blast from the Past — Raymond Benson | 1997 | Amazon US UK |
| 36 | Zero Minus Ten — Raymond Benson | 1997 | Amazon US UK |
| 37 | Tomorrow Never Dies — Raymond Benson | 1997 | Amazon US UK |
| 38 | The Facts of Death — Raymond Benson | 1998 | Amazon US UK |
| 39 | The World is Not Enough — Raymond Benson | 1999 | Amazon US UK |
| 40 | High Time to Kill — Raymond Benson | 1999 | Amazon US UK |
| 41 | Doubleshot — Raymond Benson | 2000 | Amazon US UK |
| 42 | Never Dream of Dying — Raymond Benson | 2001 | Amazon US UK |
| 43 | The Man With the Red Tattoo — Raymond Benson | 2002 | Amazon US UK |
| 44 | Die Another Day — Raymond Benson | 2002 | Amazon US UK |
| 45 | Devil May Care — Sebastian Faulks | 2008 | Amazon US UK |
| 46 | Carte Blanche — Jeffery Deaver | 2011 | Amazon US UK |
| 47 | Solo — William Boyd | 2013 | Amazon US UK |
| 48 | Trigger Mortis — Anthony Horowitz | 2015 | Amazon US UK |
| 49 | Forever and a Day — Anthony Horowitz | 2018 | Amazon US UK |
Publication Order of James Bond Collections
| # | Title | Year | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quantum of Solace | 2008 | Amazon US UK |
Every title by year All 50, oldest to newest
| # | Title | Year | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Casino Royale — Ian Fleming | 1953 | Amazon US UK |
| 2 | Live and Let Die — Ian Fleming | 1954 | Amazon US UK |
| 3 | Moonraker — Ian Fleming | 1955 | Amazon US UK |
| 4 | Diamonds Are Forever — Ian Fleming | 1956 | Amazon US UK |
| 5 | From Russia with Love — Ian Fleming | 1957 | Amazon US UK |
| 6 | Doctor No — Ian Fleming | 1958 | Amazon US UK |
| 7 | Goldfinger — Ian Fleming | 1959 | Amazon US UK |
| 8 | For Your Eyes Only — Ian Fleming | 1960 | Amazon US UK |
| 9 | Thunderball — Ian Fleming | 1961 | Amazon US UK |
| 10 | The Spy Who Loved Me — Ian Fleming | 1962 | Amazon US UK |
| 11 | The Living Daylights — Ian Fleming | 1962 | Amazon US UK |
| 12 | On Her Majesty's Secret Service — Ian Fleming | 1963 | Amazon US UK |
| 13 | You Only Live Twice — Ian Fleming | 1964 | Amazon US UK |
| 14 | The Man with the Golden Gun — Ian Fleming | 1965 | Amazon US UK |
| 15 | The James Bond Dossier — Kingsley Amis | 1965 | Amazon US UK |
| 16 | Octopussy and The Living Daylights — Ian Fleming | 1966 | Amazon US UK |
| 17 | Colonel Sun — Kingsley Amis | 1968 | Amazon US UK |
| 18 | License Renewed — John Gardner | 1981 | Amazon US UK |
| 19 | For Special Services — John Gardner | 1982 | Amazon US UK |
| 20 | Icebreaker — John Gardner | 1983 | Amazon US UK |
| 21 | The James Bond Bedside Companion — Raymond Benson | 1984 | Amazon US UK |
| 22 | Role of Honor — John Gardner | 1984 | Amazon US UK |
| 23 | Nobody Lives Forever — John Gardner | 1986 | Amazon US UK |
| 24 | No Deals, Mr. Bond — John Gardner | 1987 | Amazon US UK |
| 25 | Scorpius — John Gardner | 1988 | Amazon US UK |
| 26 | Licence to Kill — John Gardner | 1989 | Amazon US UK |
| 27 | Win, Lose or Die — John Gardner | 1989 | Amazon US UK |
| 28 | Brokenclaw — John Gardner | 1990 | Amazon US UK |
| 29 | The Man from Barbarossa — John Gardner | 1991 | Amazon US UK |
| 30 | Death Is Forever — John Gardner | 1992 | Amazon US UK |
| 31 | Never Send Flowers — John Gardner | 1993 | Amazon US UK |
| 32 | SeaFire — John Gardner | 1994 | Amazon US UK |
| 33 | GoldenEye — John Gardner | 1995 | Amazon US UK |
| 34 | Cold Fall — John Gardner | 1996 | Amazon US UK |
| 35 | Blast from the Past — Raymond Benson | 1997 | Amazon US UK |
| 36 | Zero Minus Ten — Raymond Benson | 1997 | Amazon US UK |
| 37 | Tomorrow Never Dies — Raymond Benson | 1997 | Amazon US UK |
| 38 | The Facts of Death — Raymond Benson | 1998 | Amazon US UK |
| 39 | The World is Not Enough — Raymond Benson | 1999 | Amazon US UK |
| 40 | High Time to Kill — Raymond Benson | 1999 | Amazon US UK |
| 41 | Doubleshot — Raymond Benson | 2000 | Amazon US UK |
| 42 | Never Dream of Dying — Raymond Benson | 2001 | Amazon US UK |
| 43 | The Man With the Red Tattoo — Raymond Benson | 2002 | Amazon US UK |
| 44 | Die Another Day — Raymond Benson | 2002 | Amazon US UK |
| 45 | Devil May Care — Sebastian Faulks | 2008 | Amazon US UK |
| 46 | Quantum of Solace — Ian Fleming | 2008 | Amazon US UK |
| 47 | Carte Blanche — Jeffery Deaver | 2011 | Amazon US UK |
| 48 | Solo — William Boyd | 2013 | Amazon US UK |
| 49 | Trigger Mortis — Anthony Horowitz | 2015 | Amazon US UK |
| 50 | Forever and a Day — Anthony Horowitz | 2018 | Amazon US UK |
James Bond on screen
No character has been adapted more relentlessly. Beyond the 25 official EON films (1962–2021), Bond first reached the screen in a 1954 live American TV version of Casino Royale. The novels are consistently leaner and bleaker than the movies — reading them shows how much of the myth started on the page.
- 1962Dr. NoFilm — The first EON film; based on the 1958 novel.
- 1963From Russia with LoveFilm — Close to Fleming’s 1957 novel.
- 1964GoldfingerFilm — Defined the Bond-film formula.
- 2006Casino RoyaleFilm — A reboot that returned to the first novel’s harder tone.
- 2021No Time to DieFilm — The 25th and most recent EON film.
…and 25 EON films in total, from 1962 to 2021.
If you liked the show, read the books
Liked Slow Horses (Apple TV+)? Read Mick Herron’s Slough House novels — the shabby, funny, morally-grey flip side of the spy world.
Liked The Night Manager (BBC / AMC)? Try John le Carré’s George Smiley novels for a colder, more realistic take on Cold-War espionage.
Frequently asked
What order should I read the James Bond books in?
Publication order is the standard and recommended way, starting with Casino Royale (1953) and ending with Octopussy and The Living Daylights (1966). The stories are largely self-contained, but Bond’s character develops across them.
Are the James Bond books different from the movies?
Substantially. Fleming’s Bond is more vulnerable, more introspective and often more brutal, and many film plots diverge sharply from their source novels.
Which James Bond book should I read first?
Casino Royale — it’s the first novel and the best introduction to the literary Bond.
How many James Bond novels are there?
Ian Fleming wrote fourteen Bond books (twelve novels and two short-story collections). Later continuation authors added many more.
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