Does this page include every William Golding book?

This catalog lists the William Golding books currently available in Sequencebooks, including standalone titles and series entries when available.

Are William Golding series listed separately?

Yes. Each William Golding series is broken out with book numbers, publication years, and a dedicated reading-order page.

Should I read William Golding books in publication order or chronological order?

Publication order is usually the safest reading path. For series, follow the numbered reading order shown beside each title.

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William Golding Complete Bibliography

Q: What is the best order to read William Golding books?

Start with the series reading order for any connected books, then use the chronological list on this page for the full William Golding bibliography.

Browse books by William Golding in publication order, including standalone books, complete series lists, reading order, and publication years.

Updated 2026-07-11 / 18 books / 5 series

British author best known for the dystopian novel *Lord of the Flies*, a modern classic that has sold tens of millions of copies and earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature. This page provides the William Golding books in order, including both chronological order and series reading order.

Books by William Golding in Publication Order

1954 Lord of the Flies POoSN / 1 Buy

1955 The Inheritors POoSN / 2 Buy

1956 Pincher Martin / The Two Deaths of Christopher Martin POoSN / 3 Buy

1957 Sometime, Never POoSSC / 1 Buy

1958 The Brass Butterfly POoP / 1 Buy

1959 Free Fall POoSN / 4 Buy

1964 The Spire POoSN / 5 Buy

1965 The Hot Gates and Other Occasional Pieces POoNB / 1 Buy

1967 The Pyramid POoSN / 6 Buy

1971 The Scorpion God POoSSC / 2 Buy

1979 Darkness Visible POoSN / 7 Buy

1980 Rites of Passage POoTtEotEB / 1 Buy

1982 A Moving Target POoNB / 2 Buy

1984 The Paper Men POoSN / 8 Buy

1985 An Egyptian Journal POoNB / 3 Buy

1987 Close Quarters POoTtEotEB / 2 Buy

1989 Fire Down Below POoTtEotEB / 3 Buy

1995 The Double Tongue POoSN / 9 Buy

Complete William Golding Series Reading Order / browse all ->

Short Story Collections Reading Order 2 books / 1957-1971

01 Sometime, Never 1957 Buy

02 The Scorpion God 1971 Buy

Standalone Reading Order 9 books / 1954-1995

01 Lord of the Flies 1954 Buy

02 The Inheritors 1955 Buy

03 Pincher Martin / The Two Deaths of Christopher Martin 1956 Buy

04 Free Fall 1959 Buy

05 The Spire 1964 Buy

06 The Pyramid 1967 Buy

07 Darkness Visible 1979 Buy

08 The Paper Men 1984 Buy

09 The Double Tongue 1995 Buy

Plays Reading Order 1 book / 1958

01 The Brass Butterfly 1958 Buy

Non-Fiction Reading Order 3 books / 1965-1985

01 The Hot Gates and Other Occasional Pieces 1965 Buy

02 A Moving Target 1982 Buy

03 An Egyptian Journal 1985 Buy

To the Ends of the Earth Reading Order 3 books / 1980-1989

01 Rites of Passage 1980 Buy

02 Close Quarters 1987 Buy

03 Fire Down Below 1989 Buy

Where to start with William Golding

What is the best order to read William Golding books?

Publication order is usually the safest place to start. If a book belongs to a series, follow the numbered series reading order shown on this page.

Are standalone books and series both included?

Yes. Standalone titles appear in the full chronological bibliography, and series are broken out separately with reading-order links when catalog data is available.

More authors

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Source note: Sequencebooks organizes author, book, and series records from its catalog data. Publication years and series order are shown when available.