Roald Dahl books in order
British writer and poet
- Lived
- 1916–1990
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Books
- 47
Roald Dahl published 3 novels, 5 novellas, 18 short story collections, 2 non-fiction books, 15 children's books, 3 poetry collections and 1 other book, beginning with Over to You: Ten Stories of Flyers and Flying (1946). The best-known is Matilda (1986).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with Roald Dahl
Start here
Matilda
Roald Dahl's most-read book, rated by 281 Open Library readers.
Shortest way in
George's Marvelous Medicine
One of the most-read, at about 112 pages.
Standalone novels in order
Sometime Never: A Fable for Supermen (1948)
My Uncle Oswald (Oct 1979)
The BFG (Oct 1982)
Novellas in order
James and The Giant Peach (1961)
Fantastic Mr Fox (Jun 1970)
George's Marvelous Medicine (1981)
The Minpins (1991)
Lamb to the Slaughter (2012)
Short story collections in order
Over to You: Ten Stories of Flyers and Flying (1946)
Someone Like You (1953)
Kiss Kiss (1960)
Twenty-Nine Kisses from Roald Dahl (1969)
Switch Bitch (1974)
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More (1977)
The Best of Roald Dahl (1978)
Tales of the Unexpected (1979)
More Tales of the Unexpected (1980)
Further Tales of the Unexpected [7 Stories] (1981)
The Great Automatic Grammatizator (1982)
Book of Ghost Stories (1983)
Completely Unexpected Tales [25 Stories] (1986)
Two Fables (1986)
Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life: The Country Stories of Roald Dahl (1989)
The Roald Dahl Treasury (1997)
Skin (2000)
Roald Dahl: Collected Stories (2006)
Non-fiction in order
Going Solo (1986)
Memories with Food at Gipsy House (1991)
Children's books in order
The Gremlins (1943)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964)
The Magic Fingers (1966)
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (1972)
Danny the Champion of the World (1975)
The Enormous Crocodile (Nov 1978)
The Twits (1980)
The Witches (1983)
Boy (1985)
The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me (Sep 1985)
Matilda (1986)
Esio Trot (1990)
The Vicar of Nibbleswicke (Feb 1991)
My Year (1993)
Revolting Recipes (1994)
Poetry in order
Revolting Rhymes (1982)
Dirty Beasts (1984)
Rhyme Stew (1989)
Other books in order
Taste (1986)
Film and TV adaptations
- James and the Giant Peach (1996)Film · from James and The Giant Peach
- Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)Film · from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)Film · from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (2017)Film · from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- Wonka (2023)Film · from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)Film · from Fantastic Mr Fox
- Danny, the Champion of the World (1989)Film · from Danny the Champion of the World
- Tales of the UnexpectedTV · from Tales of the Unexpected
- The Twits (2025)Film · from The Twits
- Revolting Rhymes (2016)TV · from Revolting Rhymes
- The BFG (1989)TV · from The BFG
- The BFG (2016)Film · from The BFG
- The Witches (1990)Film · from The Witches
- The Witches (2020)Film · from The Witches
- Matilda (1996)Film · from Matilda
- Matilda (2022)Film · from Matilda
- Roald Dahl's Esio Trot (2015)TV · from Esio Trot
About Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl was a British author of popular children's literature and short stories, a poet, screenwriter and a wartime fighter ace. His books have sold more than 300 million copies worldwide. He has been called "one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century".
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Roald Dahl FAQ
- How many books has Roald Dahl written?
- Roald Dahl published 3 novels, 5 novellas, 18 short story collections, 2 non-fiction books, 15 children's books, 3 poetry collections and 1 other book that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Roald Dahl's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with Matilda.
- What is Roald Dahl's last book?
- The Minpins (1991).
- What is Roald Dahl's most famous book?
- Matilda (1986) is Roald Dahl's most widely read book.
- Which Roald Dahl books have been adapted?
- 11 books have been adapted for film or TV, including James and The Giant Peach (film, 1996), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (as Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, film, 1971), Fantastic Mr Fox (as Fantastic Mr. Fox, film, 2009) and Danny the Champion of the World (as Danny, the Champion of the World, film, 1989).
Authors like Roald Dahl
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.