John le Carré published 35 novels, 1 short story collection and 1 non-fiction book, beginning with Call for the Dead (1961). The 2 series include Smiley Versus Karla trilogy (15 books, starting with The Little Drummer Girl) and George Smiley (9 books, starting with Call for the Dead). The best-known is The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1963).
Updated September 2026
Smiley Versus Karla trilogy books in order (15)Series page
Reading order: 1 The Little Drummer Girl (1983) · 2 A Perfect Spy (1986) · 3 The Russia House (1989) · 4 The Secret Pilgrim (1990) · 5 The Night Manager (1993) · 6 Our Game (1995) · 7 The Tailor of Panama (1996) · 8 Single & Single (1999) · 9 The Constant Gardener (2001) · 10 Absolute Friends (2003) · … all 15 below
- 1.
The Little Drummer Girl (1983)
- 2.
A Perfect Spy (1986)
- 3.
The Russia House (1989)
- 4.
The Secret Pilgrim (1990)
- 5.
The Night Manager (1993)
- 6.
Our Game (1995)
- 7.
The Tailor of Panama (1996)
- 8.
Single & Single (1999)
- 9.
The Constant Gardener (2001)
- 10.
Absolute Friends (2003)
- 11.
The Mission Song (2006)
- 12.
A Most Wanted Man (2008)
- 13.
Our Kind of Traitor (Sep 2010)
- 14.
A Delicate Truth (Apr 2013)
- 15.
Agent Running in the Field (2019)
George Smiley books in order (9)Series page
Reading order: 1 Call for the Dead (1961) · 2 A Murder of Quality (1962) · 3 The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1963) · 4 The Looking Glass War (1969) · 5 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1974) · 6 The Honourable Schoolboy (1977) · 7 Smiley's People (1979) · 9 A Legacy of Spies (2017) · John Le Carré (1995)
- 1.
Call for the Dead (1961)
- 2.
A Murder of Quality (1962)
- 3.
The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (Sep 1963)
- 4.
The Looking Glass War (1969)
- 5.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Jun 1974)
- 6.
The Honourable Schoolboy (1977)
- 7.
Smiley's People (1979)
- 9.
A Legacy of Spies (Sep 2017)
John Le Carré (1995)
Where to start with John le Carré
Start here
Call for the Dead
Book 1 of George Smiley, the series that includes The Spy Who Came In from the Cold, John le Carré's most-read book.
Highest rated
The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
Rated 4.1 out of 5 by 49 readers.
Standalone novels in order
The Incongruous Spy (1961)
Spy Master (1962)
The Spy Who Came in from the Rain (1963)
Looking Glass War., the (1965)
A Small Town in Germany (1968)
The Naïve and Sentimental Lover (1971)
The Quest for Karla (1982)
The Spy in His Prime (1989)
The Secret Pilgrim John Le Carr (2011)
The Pigeon Tunnel (2016)
Silverview (Oct 2021)
Short story collections in order
The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life (2016)
Non-fiction in order
Not One More Death (2006)
Film and TV adaptations
- The Deadly Affair (1966)Film · from Call for the Dead
- The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)Film · from The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
- The Looking Glass War (1970)Film · from The Looking Glass War
- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)Film · from Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
- Tinker Tailor Soldier SpyTV · from Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
- Smiley's People (1982)TV · from Smiley's People
- The Little Drummer Girl (1984)Film · from The Little Drummer Girl
- The Little Drummer GirlTV · from The Little Drummer Girl
- The Russia House (1990)Film · from The Russia House
- The Night ManagerTV · from The Night Manager
- The Night ManagerTV · from The Night Manager
- The Tailor of Panama (2001)Film · from The Tailor of Panama
- The Constant Gardener (2005)Film · from The Constant Gardener
- A Most Wanted Man (2014)Film · from A Most Wanted Man
- Our Kind of Traitor (2016)Film · from Our Kind of Traitor
About John le Carré
David John Moore Cornwell, known by his pen name John le Carré, was an English author.
Many of his espionage novels have been adapted for film or television. He has been described as a "sophisticated, morally ambiguous writer", and is considered one of the greatest novelists of the postwar era. During the 1950s and 1960s, he worked for both the Security Service (MI5) and the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). Near the end of his life, le Carré became an Irish citizen.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
John le Carré FAQ
- How many books has John le Carré written?
- John le Carré published 35 novels, 1 short story collection and 1 non-fiction book that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read John le Carré's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start Smiley Versus Karla trilogy with The Little Drummer Girl and George Smiley with Call for the Dead. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is John le Carré's last book?
- Silverview (2021).
- What is John le Carré's most famous book?
- The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1963) is John le Carré's most widely read book.
- Are John le Carré's books connected?
- 24 books belong to 2 series (Smiley Versus Karla trilogy and George Smiley); the other 13 books stand alone.
- Which John le Carré books have been adapted?
- 12 books have been adapted for film or TV, including Call for the Dead (as The Deadly Affair, film, 1966), The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (film, 1965), The Looking Glass War (film, 1970) and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, film, 2011).
Authors like John le Carré
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.