John McPhee books in order
American writer
- Born
- 1931
- Country
- United States
- Books
- 37
John McPhee has published 3 novels, 2 short story collections, 21 non-fiction books, 1 children's book and 10 other books, beginning with Levels of the Game (1969). The best-known is Annals of the Former World (1998). The latest is The Patch (2018).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with John McPhee
Start here
Annals of the Former World
John McPhee's most-read book.
Newest
The Patch
Published 2018.
Standalone novels in order
Encounters with the Archdruid (1971)
Annals of the Former World (1998)
The Princeton Anthology of Writing (2001)
Short story collections in order
Giving Good Weight (1979)
Irons in the Fire (1997)
Non-fiction in order
Oranges (1967)
A Roomful of Hovings and Other Profiles (1968)
Levels of the Game (1969)
The Crofter and the Laird (1970)
Curve of Binding Energy (1974)
Pieces of the Frame (1975)
Coming Into the Country (1976)
The John McPhee Reader (1976)
The Pine Barrens (1976)
Basin and Range (1980)
Alaska (1981)
La Place Del La Concorde Suisse (1984)
Rising from the Plains (1986)
Outcroppings (1988)
The Headmaster (1989)
Assembling California (1993)
The Founding Fish (2002)
Uncommon Carriers (2006)
Silk Parachute (2010)
Draft No. 4 (2017)
The Patch (2018)
Children's books in order
A Sense of Where You Are (1992)
Other books in order
Wimbledon: A Celebration (1972)
Deltoid Pumpkin Seed (7) (1973)
Survival of the Bark Canoe (1979)
In Suspect Terrain (1983)
Table of Contents (1985)
The Control of Nature (1989)
Looking for a Ship (1990)
The Ransom of Russian Art (1994)
Tabula Rasa, Volume 1 (2023)
They're in the River (Picador Shorts) (2025)
About John McPhee
John Angus McPhee is an American author. He is considered one of the pioneers of creative nonfiction. He is a four-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in the category General Nonfiction, and he won that award on the fourth occasion in 1999 for Annals of the Former World. In 2008, he received the George Polk Career Award for his "indelible mark on American journalism during his nearly half-century career". Since 1974, McPhee has been the Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
John McPhee FAQ
- How many books has John McPhee written?
- John McPhee has published 3 novels, 2 short story collections, 21 non-fiction books, 1 children's book and 10 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read John McPhee's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with Annals of the Former World.
- What is John McPhee's latest book?
- The Patch (2018).
- What is John McPhee's most famous book?
- Annals of the Former World (1998) is John McPhee's most widely read book.
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.