Walter Benjamin books in order
German cultural critic, philosopher and social critic
- Lived
- 1892–1940
- Country
- German Reich
- Books
- 13
- Also writes as
- Benedix Schönflies, Detlev Holz
Walter Benjamin published 2 novels, 9 non-fiction books and 2 other books, beginning with The Arcades Project (1939).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with Walter Benjamin
Start here
The Arcades Project
Walter Benjamin's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
Theses on the Philosophy of History (1942)
Capitalism as Religion (1985)
Non-fiction in order
One-way Street (1928)
The Arcades Project (1939)
Illuminations (1968)
The Origin of German Tragic Drama (1969)
Understanding Brecht (1971)
Charles Baudelaire (1973)
Reflections (1978)
Moscow Diary (1986)
The Work of Art in the Age of Its Technological Reproducibility, and Other Writings on Media (2008)
Other books in order
The Correspondence of Walter Benjamin and Gershom Scholem, 1932-1940 (1989)
Aesthetics and Politics (Radical Thinkers) (2007)
About Walter Benjamin
Walter Bendix Schönflies Benjamin was a German philosopher, cultural critic, media theorist, and essayist. An eclectic thinker who combined elements of German idealism, Jewish mysticism, Western Marxism, and post-Kantianism, he made contributions to the philosophy of history, metaphysics, historical materialism, criticism, and aesthetics, and had an oblique but overwhelmingly influential impact on the resurrection of the Kabbalah by virtue of his life-long epistolary relationship with Gershom Scholem.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Walter Benjamin FAQ
- How many books has Walter Benjamin written?
- Walter Benjamin published 2 novels, 9 non-fiction books and 2 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Walter Benjamin's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with The Arcades Project.
- What is Walter Benjamin's last book?
- Theses on the Philosophy of History (1942).
- What is Walter Benjamin's most famous book?
- The Arcades Project (1939) is Walter Benjamin's most widely read book.
- Does Walter Benjamin write under a pen name?
- Yes: Walter Benjamin has also published as Benedix Schönflies and Detlev Holz.
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.