Barbara Pym published 14 novels, beginning with Some Tame Gazelle (1950). The best-known is Excellent Women (1952).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with Barbara Pym
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Excellent Women
Barbara Pym's most-read book.
Barbara Pym books in order of publication
Some Tame Gazelle (1950)
Excellent Women (1952)
Less Than Angels (1955)
A Glass of Blessings (1958)
Quartet in Autumn (Sep 1977)
The Sweet Dove Died (1978)
No Fond Return of Love (1979)
A Few Green Leaves (1980)
Jane and Prudence (1981)
An Unsuitable Attachment (1982)
A Very Private Eye (1984)
Crampton Hodnet (1985)
An Academic Question (1986)
Civil to Strangers (1987)
About Barbara Pym
Barbara Mary Crampton Pym was an English novelist. In the 1950s, she published a series of social comedies, of which the best known are Excellent Women (1952) and A Glass of Blessings (1958). After a period of rejection by publishers, her career was revived in 1977 when the critic Lord David Cecil and the poet Philip Larkin nominated her as the most underrated writer of the previous 75 years. Her novel Quartet in Autumn (1977) was nominated for the Booker Prize that year, and she was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Barbara Pym FAQ
- How many books has Barbara Pym written?
- Barbara Pym published 14 novels that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Barbara Pym's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with Excellent Women.
- What is Barbara Pym's last book?
- An Unsuitable Attachment (1982).
- What is Barbara Pym's most famous book?
- Excellent Women (1952) is Barbara Pym's most widely read book.
Authors like Barbara Pym
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.