William Faulkner books in order
American writer
- Lived
- 1897–1962
- Country
- United States
- Books
- 40
- Series
- 1
William Faulkner published 27 novels, 12 short story collections and 1 other book, beginning with The Sound and the Fury (1929). The series is Snopes trilogy (3 books, starting with The Hamlet). The best-known is As I Lay Dying (1930).
Updated September 2026
Snopes trilogy books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 The Hamlet (1940) · 2 The Town (1957) · 3 The Mansion (1959)
- 1.
The Hamlet (1940)
- 2.
The Town (1957)
- 3.
The Mansion (1959)
Where to start with William Faulkner
Start here
As I Lay Dying
William Faulkner's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
Soldiers' Pay (1926)
Flags in the Dust (1927)
Mosquitoes (1927)
The Wishing Tree (1927)
Sartoris (1929)
The Sound and the Fury (1929)
As I Lay Dying (1930)
Sanctuary (1931)
Light in August (1932)
Smoke (1932)
Pylon (1935)
Absalom, Absalom! (1936)
The Unvanquished (1938)
Barn Burning (1939)
If I Forget Thee, Jerusalem (1939)
Pantaloon in Black (1940)
The Big Sleep (1946)
Intruder in the Dust (1948)
Requiem for a Nun (1951)
A Fable (1954)
Uncle Willy and Other Stories (1958)
The Wild Palms (1961)
The Reivers (1962)
Bear, Man, & God: Seven Approaches to William Faulkner's the Bear (1985)
Short story collections in order
A Rose for Emily (1930)
These 13 (1931)
Go Down, Moses (1942)
Knight's Gambit (1949)
Collected Stories of William Faulkner (1950)
The Indispensable Faulkner (1950)
New Orleans Sketches (1953)
Ten Modern Masters (1953)
Big Woods (1955)
Dr Martino and Other Stories (1958)
Selected Short Stories of William Faulkner (1960)
A Rose for Emily and Wash (1962)
Other books in order
A Green Bough (1933)
Film and TV adaptations
- The Sound and the Fury (1959)Film · from The Sound and the Fury
- The Sound and the Fury (2014)Film · from The Sound and the Fury
- As I Lay Dying (2013)Film · from As I Lay Dying
- Sanctuary (1961)Film · from Sanctuary
- Sanctuary (1961)Film · from Requiem for a Nun
- The Reivers (1969)Film · from The Reivers
About William Faulkner
William Cuthbert Faulkner was an American writer. He is best known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, a stand-in for Lafayette County where he spent most of his life. Winner of the 1949 Nobel Prize in Literature, Faulkner is one of the most celebrated writers of American literature, often considered the greatest writer of Southern literature and regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of the 20th century.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
William Faulkner FAQ
- How many books has William Faulkner written?
- William Faulkner published 27 novels, 12 short story collections and 1 other book that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read William Faulkner's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start Snopes trilogy with The Hamlet. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is William Faulkner's last book?
- The Reivers (1962).
- What is William Faulkner's most famous book?
- As I Lay Dying (1930) is William Faulkner's most widely read book.
- Are William Faulkner's books connected?
- 3 books belong to 1 series (Snopes trilogy); the other 37 books stand alone.
- Which William Faulkner books have been adapted?
- 5 books have been adapted for film or TV, including The Sound and the Fury (film, 1959), As I Lay Dying (film, 2013), Sanctuary (film, 1961) and Requiem for a Nun (as Sanctuary, film, 1961).
Authors like William Faulkner
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.