Charles Bukowski books in order
German-American writer
- Lived
- 1920–1994
- Country
- Germany
- Books
- 61
Charles Bukowski published 33 novels, 3 novellas, 10 short story collections, 3 non-fiction books, 5 poetry collections, 1 play and 6 other books, beginning with Notes of a Dirty Old Man (1969). The best-known is Post Office (1971).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with Charles Bukowski
Start here
Post Office
Charles Bukowski's most-read book.
Highest rated
Ham on Rye
Rated 4.0 out of 5 by 27 readers.
Standalone novels in order
Post Office (1971)
Mockingbird Wish Me Luck (1972)
Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame (1974)
The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills (1974)
Factotum (1975)
Love Is a Dog from Hell (1977)
Women (1978)
Dangling in the Tournefortia (1981)
Ham on Rye (Sep 1982)
Bring Me Your Love (1983)
War All the Time (1984)
You Get So Alone at Times That It Just Makes Sense (1986)
The Roominghouse Madrigals (1988)
Hollywood (1989)
The Last Night of the Earth Poems (1992)
Screams from the Balcony (1993)
Pulp (1994)
Living on Luck (1995)
Bukowski Unleashed (1998)
What Matters Most Is How Well You Walk Through the Fire (1999)
Open All Night (2000)
The Night Torn Mad with Footsteps (2001)
Sifting Through the Madness for the Word, the Line, the Way (2002)
The Flash of Lightning Behind the Mountain (2003)
Selected Letters Volume 3 (2004)
Come On In! (2005)
Slouching Toward Nirvana (2005)
Bone Palace Ballet (2007)
The People Look Like Flowers At Last (2007)
Portions from a Wine-stained Notebook: Short Stories and Essays (Sep 2008)
More Notes of a Dirty Old Man (Aug 2011)
On Writing (2015)
The Bell Tolls for No One (2015)
Novellas in order
Play the Piano Drunk Like a Percussion Instrument Until the Fingers Begin to Bleed a Bit (1979)
The Captain Is Out to Lunch and the Sailors Have Taken Over the Ship (1997)
The Continual Condition (2009)
Short story collections in order
Notes of a Dirty Old Man (1969)
"Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions, and General Tales of Ordinary Madness" (1972)
South of No North (1973)
Hot Water Music (1983)
Tales of Ordinary Madness (1983)
The Most Beautiful Woman in Town (1983)
Septuagenarian Stew (1990)
Septuagenarian Stew: Stories & Poems (1990)
Run with the Hunted (1993)
Betting on the Muse (2004)
Non-fiction in order
Charles Bukowski (1975)
Shakespeare Never Did This (1979)
Sunlight Here I Am (2003)
Poetry in order
Heat Wave (1995)
New Poems (2003)
The Pleasures of the Damned (2007)
On Cats (2015)
Essential Bukowski (2016)
Plays in order
The Movie, "Barfly" (1987)
Other books in order
If We Take (1970)
Gold in Your Eye (1986)
Hostage (1994)
Bukowski on Bukowski (1998)
You Get So Alone at Times (2007)
Contes De La Folie Ordinaire
Film and TV adaptations
- Factotum (2005)Film · from Factotum
About Charles Bukowski
Henry Charles Bukowski was a German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambience of his adopted home city of Los Angeles. Bukowski's work addresses the ordinary lives of poor Americans, the act of writing, alcohol, relationships with women, and the drudgery of work.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Charles Bukowski FAQ
- How many books has Charles Bukowski written?
- Charles Bukowski published 33 novels, 3 novellas, 10 short story collections, 3 non-fiction books, 5 poetry collections, 1 play and 6 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Charles Bukowski's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with Post Office.
- What is Charles Bukowski's last book?
- Living on Luck (1995).
- What is Charles Bukowski's most famous book?
- Post Office (1971) is Charles Bukowski's most widely read book.
- Which Charles Bukowski books have been adapted?
- 1 book has been adapted for film or TV, including Factotum (film, 2005).
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.