Order of Book Series
0

Charles Baxter Books in Order

Charles Baxter has written 23 books, published between 1967 and 2024. The first book is Chanter (1967) and the newest is Blood Test (2024). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
23
Published
1967–2024
Pages on record
2,780 in 12 of 23 books
Reading time
46–70 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 2,780 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 12 of 23 titles with a page count on record.

See all 23 books in order Printable Charles Baxter checklist

Charles Baxter's 23 catalogued books run from Chanter (1967) to Blood Test (2024). Baxter, born May 13, 1947, is an American novelist, essayist and poet. Harmony of the World (1984), Through the Safety Net (1985), First Light (1987) and Shadow Play (1993) are among the titles, and short stories figure prominently in the subjects. Michigan, the middle class and the craft of authorship appear among the subjects.

How many Charles Baxter books are there?

Charles Baxter has 23 books, released between 1967 and 2024.

Charles Baxter Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 23 Charles Baxter books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of The South Dakota Guidebook by Charles Baxter (1974)
  2. Cover of Harmony of the World by Charles Baxter (1984)
  3. Cover of Through the Safety Net by Charles Baxter (1985)
  4. Cover of Imaginary Paintings and Other Poems by Charles Baxter (1990)
  5. Cover of A Relative Stranger by Charles Baxter (1990)
  6. Cover of Shadow Play by Charles Baxter (1993)
  7. Cover of Believers by Charles Baxter (1997)
  8. Cover of The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter (2000)
  9. Cover of Bringing the Devil to His Knees by Charles Baxter (2001)
  10. Cover of The Soul Thief by Charles Baxter (2007)
  11. Cover of Gryphon by Charles Baxter (2011)
  12. Cover of There's Something I Want You to Do by Charles Baxter (2015)
  13. Cover of The Sun Collective by Charles Baxter (2020)
  1. 1
    Chanter1967 · confirmed 1/4
    1967–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Chameleon1970 · confirmed 1/4
    1970–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    The South Dakota Guidebook1974 · 86 pages · confirmed 1/4
    197486
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Harmony of the World1984 · 149 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1984149
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Through the Safety Net1985 · 216 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1985216
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    First Light1987 · 286 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1987286
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Imaginary Paintings and Other Poems1990 · 101 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1990101
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    A Relative Stranger1990 · 224 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1990224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Shadow Play1993 · 400 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1993400
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Burning Down the House: Essays on Fiction1997 · confirmed 1/4
    1997–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Believers1997 · 288 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1997288
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    The Feast of Love2000 · 308 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2000308
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Bringing the Devil to His Knees2001 · 258 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2001258
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Saul and Patsy2003 · confirmed 1/4
    2003–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    The Art of Subtext: Beyond Plot2007 · confirmed 1/4
    2007–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    The Soul Thief2007 · 224 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2007224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    November2010 · confirmed 1/4
    2010–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    Gryphon2011 · confirmed 1/4
    2011–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    The Would-be Father2014 · confirmed 1/4
    2014–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    There's Something I Want You to Do2015 · 240 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2015240
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    The Sun Collective2020 · confirmed 1/4
    2020–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    Wonderlands: Essays on the Life of Literature2022 · confirmed 1/4
    2022–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    Blood Test2024 · confirmed 1/4
    2024–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Charles Baxter books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

Standalone books

23 books

23 Charles Baxter titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Charles Baxter books in order?

No. No source lists any of the 23 Charles Baxter books here as part of a series. The numbered table above gives them by publication date.

Where to start with Charles Baxter

Start with Chanter (1967), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Charles Baxter book?

Blood Test (2024) is the newest Charles Baxter book released so far.

Is there a new Charles Baxter book coming?

No next Charles Baxter book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Awards Charles Baxter has won

Wikidata records 1 award and 1 nomination for Charles Baxter. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Michigan Author Award1993Won
  • National Book Award for Fiction2000Shortlisted

Charles Baxter at a glance

Still publishing
Charles Baxter published a book as recently as 2024.
Release pace
Charles Baxter books have appeared about one every 3 years on average.
Length
2,780 pages across the 12 of 23 books with a recorded length, a median of 232 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Charles Baxter books, 5 of 23, were published in the 2000s.

What the Charles Baxter books are about

12 of the 23 Charles Baxter books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: short stories is tagged on 6 of 12. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

  • Short stories 6 of 12 books
  • Michigan 3 of 12 books
  • American literature 2 of 12 books
  • Social life and customs 2 of 12 books