Italo Calvino books in order
Italian journalist and writer
- Lived
- 1923–1985
- Country
- Italy
- Books
- 30
- Series
- 1
Italo Calvino published 12 novels, 5 novellas, 10 short story collections and 3 non-fiction books, beginning with The Path to the Nest of Spiders (1947). The series is Our Ancestors (3 books, starting with The Cloven Viscount). The best-known is Invisible Cities (1972).
Updated September 2026
Our Ancestors books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 The Cloven Viscount (1952) · 2 The Baron in the Trees (1957) · 3 The Nonexistent Knight (1959)
- 1.
The Cloven Viscount (1952)
- 2.
The Baron in the Trees (1957)
- 3.
The Nonexistent Knight (1959)
Where to start with Italo Calvino
Start here
Invisible Cities
Italo Calvino's most-read book.
Shortest way in
Six Memos for the Next Millennium
One of the most-read, at about 124 pages.
Standalone novels in order
The Path to the Nest of Spiders (1947)
Italian Fables (1959)
Our Ancestors (1960)
The Watcher (1963)
Orlando Furioso Di Ludovico Ariosto (1970)
Invisible Cities (1972)
If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler (1979)
Prima Che Tu Dica "Pronto" (1985)
The Road To San Giovanni (1990)
Why Read the Classics? (1991)
The Hermit in Paris (2003)
Novellas in order
The Castle of Crossed Destinies (1969)
Mr. Palomar (1983)
Six Memos for the Next Millennium (1988)
Short story collections in order
The Crow Comes Last (1949)
Into the War (1954)
Italian Folktales (1956)
Marcovaldo (1963)
Cosmicomics (1965)
T Zero (1967)
Difficult Loves (1970)
Adam, One Afternoon (1984)
Under the Jaguar Sun (1986)
Numbers in the Dark (1995)
Non-fiction in order
Valerio Adami (1973)
The Uses of Literature (1980)
Collection of Sand (1984)
About Italo Calvino
Italo Calvino was an Italian novelist and short story writer. His best-known works include the Our Ancestors trilogy (1952–1959), the Cosmicomics collection of short stories (1965), and the novels Invisible Cities (1972) and If on a winter's night a traveler (1979).
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Italo Calvino FAQ
- How many books has Italo Calvino written?
- Italo Calvino published 12 novels, 5 novellas, 10 short story collections and 3 non-fiction books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Italo Calvino's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start Our Ancestors with The Cloven Viscount. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is Italo Calvino's last book?
- Under the Jaguar Sun (1986).
- What is Italo Calvino's most famous book?
- Invisible Cities (1972) is Italo Calvino's most widely read book.
- Are Italo Calvino's books connected?
- 3 books belong to 1 series (Our Ancestors); the other 27 books stand alone.
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.