Arthur C. Clarke books in order
British science fiction writer, inventor, and futurist
- Lived
- 1917–2008
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Books
- 82
- Series
- 3
- Also writes as
- Charles Willis, E.G. O'Brien
Arthur C. Clarke published 53 novels, 2 novellas, 14 short story collections, 7 non-fiction books, 2 children's books and 4 other books, beginning with The Sands of Mars (1951). The 3 series include Space Odyssey (4 books, starting with 2001: A Space Odyssey), Rama (4 books, starting with Rendezvous with Rama) and A Time Odyssey (3 books, starting with Time's Eye). The best-known is 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).
Updated September 2026
Space Odyssey books in order (4)Series page
Reading order: 1 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) · 2 2010: Odyssey Two (1982) · 3 2061: Odyssey Three (1987) · 4 3001: The Final Odyssey (1997)
- 1.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
- 2.
2010: Odyssey Two (Dec 1982)
- 3.
2061: Odyssey Three (Dec 1987)
- 4.
3001: The Final Odyssey (Mar 1997)
Rama books in order (4)Series page
Reading order: 1 Rendezvous with Rama (1973) · 2 Rama II (1989) · 3 The Garden of Rama (1991) · 4 Rama Revealed (1993)
- 1.
Rendezvous with Rama (Jun 1973)
- 2.
Rama II (Nov 1989)
- 3.
The Garden of Rama (Sep 1991)
- 4.
Rama Revealed (Oct 1993)
A Time Odyssey books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 Time's Eye (2003) · 2 Sunstorm (2005) · 3 Firstborn (2007)
- 1.
Time's Eye (Mar 2003), with Stephen Baxter
- 2.
Sunstorm (Mar 2005), with Stephen Baxter
- 3.
Firstborn (Dec 2007), with Stephen Baxter
Where to start with Arthur C. Clarke
Start here
2001: A Space Odyssey
Arthur C. Clarke's most-read book and the first of the 4 Space Odyssey books.
Shortest way in
Childhood’s End
One of the most-read, at about 222 pages.
Standalone novels in order
Interplanetary Flight (1950)
Prelude to Space (1951)
The Exploration of Space (1951)
The Sands of Mars (1951)
Islands in the Sky (1952)
Across the Sea of Stars (1953)
Against the Fall of Night (1953)
Childhood’s End (Aug 1953)
Earthlight (1955)
The Coast of Coral (1956)
The City and the Stars (Jun 1956)
The Deep Range (1957)
The Making of a Moon (1957)
The Challenge of the Spaceship (1959)
A Fall of Moondust (1961)
From the Ocean, From the Stars (1962)
Dolphin Island (1963)
Glide Path (1963)
Man and Space (1964)
The Treasure of the Great Reef (1964)
Time Probe (1966)
Of Time and Stars (1972)
Report on Planet Three and Other Speculations (1972)
Imperial Earth (Sep 1975)
The Fountains of Paradise (Jan 1979)
1984 Spring (1984)
July 20, 2019 (1986)
Lion of Comarre and Against the Fall of Night (1986)
The Songs of Distant Earth (May 1986)
Other Side of the Sky, The (1987)
Cradle (1988)
Astounding Days (1989)
Beyond the Fall of Night (Jul 1990), with Gregory Benford
The Ghost from the Grand Banks (Oct 1990)
The Hammer of God (Jun 1993)
Richter 10 (1996)
Greetings, Carbon-Based Bipeds! (1999)
Rendevous with Rama (1999)
The Trigger (1999)
The Light of Other Days (Apr 2000), with Stephen Baxter
Ghost from the Grand Banks and the Deep Range (2001)
The Last Theorem (2008), with Frederik Pohl
Novellas in order
A Meeting with Medusa (Dec 1971)
The Snows of Olympus (1994)
Short story collections in order
Expedition to Earth (1953)
Reach for Tomorrow (1956)
The Other Side of the Sky (1958)
Tales of Ten Worlds (1962)
The Nine Billion Names of God (1967)
Tales from the White Hart (1970)
The Wind from the Sun (1972)
The Best of Arthur C. Clarke (1973)
Nine Billion Names (1974)
Galactic Empires (1976)
The Sentinel (Nov 1983)
Tales from Planet Earth (1990)
More Than One Universe (1991)
The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke (2001)
Non-fiction in order
The Reefs of Taprobane (1957)
American Heritage (1958)
Voice Across the Sea (1958)
Profiles of the Future (1962)
Voices from the Sky (1965)
The View from Serendip (Oct 1977)
How the World Was One (Jun 1992)
Children's books in order
Indian Ocean Adventure (1961)
Indian Ocean Treasure (1964)
Other books in order
Prelude to Mars (1965)
The Odyssey File (1984)
Rendezous with Rama (1987)
Light of Other Days, The (2000)
Film and TV adaptations
- Childhood's EndTV · from Childhood’s End
- 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984)Film · from 2010: Odyssey Two
About Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke was an English science fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Arthur C. Clarke FAQ
- How many books has Arthur C. Clarke written?
- Arthur C. Clarke published 53 novels, 2 novellas, 14 short story collections, 7 non-fiction books, 2 children's books and 4 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Arthur C. Clarke's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start Space Odyssey with 2001: A Space Odyssey, Rama with Rendezvous with Rama and A Time Odyssey with Time's Eye. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is Arthur C. Clarke's last book?
- The Last Theorem (2008).
- What is Arthur C. Clarke's most famous book?
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) is Arthur C. Clarke's most widely read book.
- Are Arthur C. Clarke's books connected?
- 11 books belong to 3 series (Space Odyssey, Rama and A Time Odyssey); the other 71 books stand alone.
- Does Arthur C. Clarke write under a pen name?
- Yes: Arthur C. Clarke has also published as Charles Willis and E.G. O'Brien.
- Which Arthur C. Clarke books have been adapted?
- 2 books have been adapted for film or TV, including Childhood’s End (as Childhood's End, TV) and 2010: Odyssey Two (as 2010: The Year We Make Contact, film, 1984).
Authors like Arthur C. Clarke
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.