Erle Stanley Gardner books in order
American writer and lawyer
- Lived
- 1889–1970
- Country
- United States
- Books
- 156
- Series
- 1
Erle Stanley Gardner published 140 novels, 3 short story collections, 11 non-fiction books, 1 children's book and 1 other book, beginning with The Case of the Lucky Legs (1931). The series is Perry Mason (5 books, starting with The Case of the Lucky Legs). 7 feature Donald Lam. The best-known is The Case of the Velvet Claws (1933).
Updated September 2026
Perry Mason books in order (5)Series page
Reading order: 1 The Case of the Lucky Legs (1931) · 2 The Case of the Sulky Girl (1933) · 3 The Case of the Curious Bride (1935) · 4 The Case of The Silent Partner (1946) · 5 The Case of the Howling Dog (1999)
- 1.
The Case of the Lucky Legs (1931)
- 2.
The Case of the Sulky Girl (1933)
- 3.
The Case of the Curious Bride (1935)
- 4.
The Case of The Silent Partner (1946)
- 5.
The Case of the Howling Dog (Oct 1999)
Where to start with Erle Stanley Gardner
Start here
The Case of the Velvet Claws
Erle Stanley Gardner's most-read book.
Shortest way in
The Case of the Crooked Candle
One of the most-read, at about 220 pages.
Standalone novels in order
The Case of the Velvet Claws (1933)
The Clue of the Forgotten Murder (1934)
The Case of the Counterfeit Eye (1935)
Perry Mason Solves the Case of the Stuttering Bishop (1936)
The Case of Sleepwalker's Niece (1936)
This Is Murder (1936)
Murder Up My Sleeve (1937)
The Case of the Dangerous Dowager (1937)
The Case of the Lame Canary (1937)
The Case of the Shoplifter’s Shoe (1938)
The D.a. Holds a Candle (1938)
The Bigger They Come (1939)
The D a Draws a Circle (1939)
Gold Comes in Bricks (1940)
The Case of the Baited Hook (1940)
A.a. Fair Double or Quits (1941)
Spill the Jackpot! (1941)
The Case of the Haunted Husband (1941)
The Case of the Turning Tide (1941)
The D.a. Calls It Murder (1941)
Bats Fly at Dusk (1942)
Owls Don't Blink (1942)
The D.a. Cooks a Goose (1942)
Cats Prowl at Night (1943)
The Case of the Buried Clock (1943)
The Case of the Smoking Chimney (1943)
The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde (1944)
The Case of the Crooked Candle (1944)
The D. A. Calls a Turn (1944)
Crows Can't Count (1946)
The Case of the Fan-Dancer's Horse (1946)
The D.a. Breaks a Seal (1946)
The Case of the Lazy Lover (1947)
The Case of the Substitute Face (1947)
Two Clues (1947)
The Case of the Vagabond Virgin (1948)
The Case of the Lonely Heiress (Feb 1948)
Bedrooms Have Windows (1949)
The Case of the Cautious Coquette; the Case of the Crimson Kiss; the Case of the Crying Swallow (1949)
The Case of the Drowning Duck (1949)
The Case of the Musical Cow (1950)
The Case Of The One-Eyed Witness (1950)
The Case of the Borrowed Brunette (1951)
The Case of the Grinning Gorilla (1952)
Perry Mason in the Case of the Green Eyed Sister (1953)
The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom (1953)
The Case of the Hesitant Hostess (1953)
The Case of the Golddigger's Purse (1954)
The Case of the Negligent Nymph (1954)
The Case of the Runaway Corpse (1954)
The Case of the Glamorous Ghost (1955)
The Case of the Nervous Accomplice (1955)
The Case of the Sun Bather's Diary (1955)
The D.a. Breaks an Egg (1955)
Beware the Curves (1956)
The Case of the Gilded Lily (1956)
The Case of the Moth-eaten Mink (1956)
The Case of the Terrified Typist (1956)
The D.a. Takes a Chance (1956)
Case of the Fiery Fingers, Perry Mason Mystery, Pocket Books 1957 Prntg (1957)
Some Slips Don't Show (1957)
The Case of the Daring Decoy (1957)
The Case of the Lucky Loser (1957)
The Case of the Screaming Woman (1957)
You Can Die Laughing (1957)
Count of 9 (1958)
Perry Mason in the Case of the Angry Mourner (1958)
The Case of the Careless Kitten (1958)
The Case of the Foot-loose Doll (1958)
The Case of the Long-legged Models (1958)
Pass the Gravy (1959)
Perry Mason the Case of the Mythical Monkeys (1959)
The Case of the Perjured Parrot (1959)
The Case of the Singing Skirt (1959)
WAYLAID WOLF (1959)
Kept Women Can't Quit (1960)
The Case of the Beautiful Beggar (1960)
The Case of the Restless Redhead (1960)
The Case of the Shapely Shadow (1960)
The D.a. Goes to Trial (1960)
Bachelors Get Lonely (1961)
The Case of the Bigamous Spouse (1961)
The Case of the Blonde Bonanza (1962)
The Case of the Demure Defendant (1962)
The Case of the Ice-cold Hands (1962)
The Case of the Mischievous Doll (1962)
The Case of the Reluctant Model (1962)
The Case of the Rolling Bones (1962)
Try Anything Once (1962)
Fish or Cut Bait (1963)
The Case of the Amorous Aunt (1963)
The Case of the Empty Tin (1963)
The Case of the Half-wakened Wife (1963)
The Case of the Stepdaughter's Secret (1963)
Case of the Phantom Fortune 50373 (1964)
The Case of the Deadly Toy (1964)
The Case of the Horrified Heirs (1964)
The Case of the Duplicate Daughter (1965)
The Case of the Trouble Trustee (1965)
The Case of the Drowsy Mosquito (1966)
The Case of the Spurious Spinster (1966)
The Case Of The Worried Waitress (A Perry Mason Mystery) (1966)
Widows Wear Weeds (1966)
Gypsy Days on the Delta (1967)
The Case of the Queenly Contestant (1967)
Traps Need Fresh Bait (1967)
The Case of the Careless Cupid (1968)
The Case of the Fabulous Fake (1969)
The Case of the Murderer's Bride and Other Stories (1969)
All Grass Isn't Green (1970)
Cops on Campus and Crime in the Streets (1970)
Shills Can't Cash Chips (1970)
Some Women Won't Wait (1970)
The Case of the Crimson Kiss (1971)
The Case of the Fenced-in Woman (1972)
The Case of the Postponed Murder (1973)
Ellery Queen Presents Erle Stanley Gardner's The Amazing Adventures of Lester Leith (1980)
The Human Zero: The Science Fiction Stories of Erle Stanley Gardner (1981)
Whispering Sands: Stories of Gold Fever and the Western Desert (1981)
Pay Dirt and Other Whispering Sands Stories of Gold Fever and the Western Desert (1983)
Perry Mason (1989)
The Adventures of Paul Pry (1989)
Dead Men's Letters (1990)
The Blonde in Lower Six (1990)
A Perry Mason Casebook (1993)
The Case of the Caretaker's Cat (Jan 1998)
The Danger Zone and Other Stories (2004)
The Casebook of Sidney Zoom (2006)
Short story collections in order
The Case of the Irate Witness (1970)
The Case of the Crying Swallow (1971)
Honest Money (1991)
Non-fiction in order
The Land of Shorter Shadows (1948)
The Court of Last Resort (1952)
Hunting the Desert Whale (1960)
Hovering Over Baja (1961)
The Hidden Heart of Baja (1962)
The Desert Is Yours (1963)
The World of Water (1965)
Off the Beaten Track in Baja (1967)
Mexico's Magic Square (1968)
Drifting Down the Delta (1969)
Host with the Big Hat (1969)
Children's books in order
The Case of the Daring Divorce (Perry Mason) (1964)
Other books in order
Perry Mason Mysteries/The Case of The Haunted Husband and The Case of The Curious Bride (1994)
Film and TV adaptations
- The Case of the Lucky Legs (1935)Film · from The Case of the Lucky Legs
- The Case of the Velvet Claws (1936)Film · from The Case of the Velvet Claws
- The Case of the Curious Bride (1935)Film · from The Case of the Curious Bride
- The Case of the Black Cat (1936)Film · from The Case of the Caretaker's Cat
- The Case of the Howling Dog (1934)Film · from The Case of the Howling Dog
About Erle Stanley Gardner
Erle Stanley Gardner was an American author and lawyer, best known for the Perry Mason series of legal detective stories. Gardner also wrote numerous other novels and shorter pieces as well as a series of nonfiction books, mostly narrations of his travels through Baja California and other regions in Mexico.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Erle Stanley Gardner FAQ
- How many books has Erle Stanley Gardner written?
- Erle Stanley Gardner published 140 novels, 3 short story collections, 11 non-fiction books, 1 children's book and 1 other book that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Erle Stanley Gardner's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start Perry Mason with The Case of the Lucky Legs. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is Erle Stanley Gardner's last book?
- The Case of the Fenced-in Woman (1972).
- What is Erle Stanley Gardner's most famous book?
- The Case of the Velvet Claws (1933) is Erle Stanley Gardner's most widely read book.
- Are Erle Stanley Gardner's books connected?
- 5 books belong to 1 series (Perry Mason); the other 151 books stand alone.
- Which Erle Stanley Gardner books have been adapted?
- 5 books have been adapted for film or TV, including The Case of the Lucky Legs (film, 1935), The Case of the Velvet Claws (film, 1936), The Case of the Curious Bride (film, 1935) and The Case of the Caretaker's Cat (as The Case of the Black Cat, film, 1936).
Authors like Erle Stanley Gardner
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.