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Reading order

American Poets Project Books in Order

This page lists the complete American Poets Project reading order by John Updike, with book numbers, publication years, and a publication-order view for readers who want to start at the beginning.

Updated 2026-06-22 / 29 books / 1892-2012

American Poets Project Reading Order

01 Walt Whitman(By: Walt Whitman) 1892 Buy
02 Edgar Allan Poe(By: Richard Wilbur) 1909 Buy
03 Theodore Roethke(By: ) 1969 Buy
04 A. R. Ammons(By: David Lehman,A.R. Ammons) 1977 Buy
05 William Carlos Williams(By: William Carlos Williams) 1984 Buy
06 Edna St. Vincent Millay(By: Edna St. Vincent Millay) 1991 Buy
07 Carl Sandburg: Selected Poems(By: Carl Sandburg) 1996 Buy
08 Yvor Winters(By: Thom Gunn,Yvor Winters) 1999 Buy
09 Karl Shapiro(With: Karl Shapiro) 2003 Buy
10 Poets of World War II(By: Various,Harvey Shapiro) 2003 Buy
11 American Wits(By: John Hollander) 2003 Buy
12 John Greenleaf Whittier(By: John Greenleaf Whittier) 2004 Buy
13 Kenneth Fearing(By: Robert Polito,Kenneth Fearing) 2004 Buy
14 Muriel Rukeyser(By: Muriel Rukeyser) 2004 Buy
15 John Berryman(By: Kevin Young,John Berryman) 2004 Buy
16 Poets of the Civil War(By: J.D. McClatchy) 2005 Buy
17 Emma Lazarus(By: Emma Lazarus) 2005 Buy
18 Edith Wharton(By: Edith Wharton) 2005 Buy
19 The Essential Gwendolyn Brooks(By: Gwendolyn Brooks,Elizabeth Alexander) 2005 Buy
20 Cole Porter(By: Robert Kimball,Cole Porter) 2006 Buy
21 Louis Zukofsky(By: Louis Zukofsky,Charles Bernstein) 2006 Buy
22 Kenneth Koch(By: Ron Padgett,Kenneth Koch) 2007 Buy
23 American Sonnets(By: David Bromwich) 2007 Buy
24 James Agee(By: James Agee,Andrew Hudgins) 2008 Buy
25 Poems from the Women's Movement(By: Honor Moore) 2009 Buy
26 Ira Gershwin(By: Robert Kimball,Ira Gershwin) 2009 Buy
27 Lyrics of the First Great Popular Songs(By: Stephen Collins Foster,Ken Emerson) 2010 Buy
28 Countee Cullen(By: Countee Cullen) 2010 Buy
29 Amy Lowell(By: Honor Moore) 2012 Buy

American Poets Project Books by Publication Order

1892 Walt Whitman(By: Walt Whitman) #1
1909 Edgar Allan Poe(By: Richard Wilbur) #2
1969 Theodore Roethke(By: ) #3
1977 A. R. Ammons(By: David Lehman,A.R. Ammons) #4
1984 William Carlos Williams(By: William Carlos Williams) #5
1991 Edna St. Vincent Millay(By: Edna St. Vincent Millay) #6
1996 Carl Sandburg: Selected Poems(By: Carl Sandburg) #7
1999 Yvor Winters(By: Thom Gunn,Yvor Winters) #8
2003 Karl Shapiro(With: Karl Shapiro) #9
2003 Poets of World War II(By: Various,Harvey Shapiro) #10
2003 American Wits(By: John Hollander) #11
2004 John Greenleaf Whittier(By: John Greenleaf Whittier) #12
2004 Kenneth Fearing(By: Robert Polito,Kenneth Fearing) #13
2004 Muriel Rukeyser(By: Muriel Rukeyser) #14
2004 John Berryman(By: Kevin Young,John Berryman) #15
2005 Poets of the Civil War(By: J.D. McClatchy) #16
2005 Emma Lazarus(By: Emma Lazarus) #17
2005 Edith Wharton(By: Edith Wharton) #18
2005 The Essential Gwendolyn Brooks(By: Gwendolyn Brooks,Elizabeth Alexander) #19
2006 Cole Porter(By: Robert Kimball,Cole Porter) #20
2006 Louis Zukofsky(By: Louis Zukofsky,Charles Bernstein) #21
2007 Kenneth Koch(By: Ron Padgett,Kenneth Koch) #22
2007 American Sonnets(By: David Bromwich) #23
2008 James Agee(By: James Agee,Andrew Hudgins) #24
2009 Poems from the Women's Movement(By: Honor Moore) #25
2009 Ira Gershwin(By: Robert Kimball,Ira Gershwin) #26
2010 Lyrics of the First Great Popular Songs(By: Stephen Collins Foster,Ken Emerson) #27
2010 Countee Cullen(By: Countee Cullen) #28
2012 Amy Lowell(By: Honor Moore) #29

Questions readers ask

What is the correct American Poets Project reading order?

The American Poets Project reading order on this page follows the numbered series order where available, with publication years shown beside each book.

How many American Poets Project books are there?

This catalog currently lists 29 American Poets Project books published across 1892-2012.

Who writes the American Poets Project books?

American Poets Project is listed as a book series by John Updike.

Should I read American Poets Project in publication order?

For most readers, publication order is the safest way to read American Poets Project. If a separate series order is available, this page shows that order first and publication years beside each title.

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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.