Robertson Davies books in order
Canadian novelist
- Lived
- 1913–1995
- Country
- Canada
- Books
- 27
- Series
- 2
Robertson Davies published 16 novels, 1 novella, 1 short story collection, 5 non-fiction books, 1 children's book, 1 play and 2 other books, beginning with Fifth Business (1970). The 2 series include The Deptford Trilogy (3 books, starting with Fifth Business) and The Cornish Trilogy (3 books, starting with The Rebel Angels).
Updated September 2026
The Deptford Trilogy books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 Fifth Business (1970) · 2 The Manticore (1972) · 3 World of Wonders (1975)
- 1.
Fifth Business (1970)
- 2.
The Manticore (1972)
- 3.
World of Wonders (1975)
The Cornish Trilogy books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 The Rebel Angels (1981) · 2 What's Bred in the Bone (1985) · 3 The Lyre of Orpheus (1988)
- 1.
The Rebel Angels (1981)
- 2.
What's Bred in the Bone (1985)
- 3.
The Lyre of Orpheus (1988)
Where to start with Robertson Davies
Start here
Fifth Business
Robertson Davies's most-read book and the first of the 3 The Deptford Trilogy books.
Standalone novels in order
The Diary of Samuel Marchbanks (1947)
The Table Talk of Samuel Marchbanks (1949)
Tempest-tost (1951)
Leaven of Malice (1954)
A Mixture of Frailties (1958)
The Papers of Samuel Marchbanks (1985)
The Enthusiasms of Robertson Davies (1988)
Murther & Walking Spirits (1991)
The Cunning Man (1994)
The Merry Heart (1997)
Novellas in order
The Cat That Went to Trinity (1981)
Short story collections in order
High Spirits (1982)
Non-fiction in order
Shakespeare's Boy Actors (1939)
At My Heart's Core (1950)
A Voice from the Attic (1960)
The Well-tempered Critic (1981)
Conversations with Robertson Davies (1989)
Children's books in order
Shakespeare for Young Players: A Junior Course (1942)
Plays in order
Happy Alchemy (1997)
Other books in order
Overlaid (1973)
A Gathering of Ghost Stories (1995)
About Robertson Davies
William Robertson Davies was a Canadian novelist, playwright, critic, journalist, and professor. He was one of Canada's best known and most popular authors and one of its most distinguished "men of letters", a term Davies gladly accepted for himself. Davies was the founding Master of Massey College, a graduate residential college associated with the University of Toronto.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Robertson Davies FAQ
- How many books has Robertson Davies written?
- Robertson Davies published 16 novels, 1 novella, 1 short story collection, 5 non-fiction books, 1 children's book, 1 play and 2 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Robertson Davies's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start The Deptford Trilogy with Fifth Business and The Cornish Trilogy with The Rebel Angels. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is Robertson Davies's last book?
- The Merry Heart (1997).
- What is Robertson Davies's most famous book?
- Fifth Business (1970) is Robertson Davies's most widely read book.
- Are Robertson Davies's books connected?
- 6 books belong to 2 series (The Deptford Trilogy and The Cornish Trilogy); the other 21 books stand alone.
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.