Order of Book Series
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Colm Tóibín Books in Order

Colm Tóibín has written 42 books, published between 1985 and 2026. The first book is Seeing Is Believing (1985) and the newest is The Bridge (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
42
Published
1985–2026
Confirmed
1 of 42 titles
Pages on record
6,550 in 32 of 42 books
Reading time
109–164 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 6,550 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 32 of 42 titles with a page count on record.

See all 42 books in order Printable Colm Tóibín checklist
Photo of Colm Tóibín, author of the Eilis Lacey series

Colm Tóibín, born 30 May 1955, is an Irish novelist, short story writer, essayist, journalist, critic, playwright and poet. The South (1990) was Tóibín's first novel. The Blackwater Lightship was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and The Master, a fictional portrait of Henry James's inner life, was also shortlisted and won the 2006 International Dublin Literary Award. Nora Webster won the Hawthornden Prize, and The Magician, based on the life of Thomas Mann, won the Folio Prize. Eilis Lacey is a series in the catalogue, which runs from Seeing Is Believing (1985) to The Bridge (2026). Tóibín is a member of Aosdána and won the David Cohen Prize in 2021.

How many Colm Tóibín books are there?

Colm Tóibín has 42 books, released between 1985 and 2026. 2 of them belong to the Eilis Lacey series.

Colm Tóibín Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 42 Colm Tóibín books in the order they were released, 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 Seeing Is Believing by Colm Tóibín (1985)
  2. Cover of Walking Along the Border by Colm Tóibín (1987)
  3. Cover of Bad Blood by Colm Tóibín (1988)
  4. Cover of The South by Colm Tóibín (1990)
  5. Cover of Homage to Barcelona by Colm Tóibín (1990)
  6. Cover of Trial of the Generals by Colm Tóibín (1990)
  7. Cover of The Heather Blazing by Colm Tóibín (1992)
  8. Cover of The Kilfenora Teaboy by Colm Tóibín (1996)
  9. Cover of The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Tóibín (1999)
  10. Cover of The Irish Famine by Colm Tóibín (1999)
  11. Cover of Love in a Dark Time by Colm Tóibín (2002)
  12. Cover of Lady Gregory's Toothbrush by Colm Tóibín (2002)
  13. Cover of Beauty in a Broken Place by Colm Tóibín (2004)
  14. Cover of The Use of Reason by Colm Tóibín (2006)
  15. Cover of Ireland by Colm Tóibín (2008)
  16. Cover of Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín, book 1 of the Eilis Lacey series (2009)
  17. Cover of The Empty Family by Colm Tóibín (2010)
  18. Cover of All a Novelist Needs by Colm Tóibín (2010)
  19. Cover of The Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín (2012)
  20. Cover of New Ways to Kill Your Mother by Colm Tóibín (2012)
  21. Cover of Nora Webster by Colm Tóibín (2014)
  22. Cover of On Elizabeth Bishop by Colm Tóibín, book 5 of the Writers on Writers series (2015)
  23. Cover of House of Names by Colm Tóibín (2017)
  24. Cover of The Magician by Colm Tóibín (2021)
  1. 1
    Seeing Is Believing1985 · 95 pages · confirmed 1/4
    198595
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Walking Along the Border1987 · 159 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1987159
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Bad Blood1988 · 180 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1988180
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The South1990 · 240 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1990240
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Homage to Barcelona1990 · 224 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1990224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Dubliners1990 · 160 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1990160
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Trial of the Generals1990 · 197 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1990197
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    The Heather Blazing1992 · 256 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1992256
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    The Sign of the Cross1994 · 296 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1994296
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    The Guinness Book Of Ireland1995 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1995192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    The Story of the Night1996 · 312 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1996312
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    The Kilfenora Teaboy1996 · 173 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1996173
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Conversations and Portraits1997 · 16 pages · confirmed 1/4
    199716
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    The Blackwater Lightship1999 · 273 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1999273
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    The Irish Famine1999 · 214 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1999214
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Love in a Dark Time2002 · 288 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2002288
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Lady Gregory's Toothbrush2002 · 127 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2002127
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    Beauty in a Broken Place2004 · 96 pages · confirmed 1/4
    200496
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    The Master2004 · confirmed 1/4
    2004–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Mothers and Sons2006 · 271 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2006271
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    The Use of Reason2006 · 75 pages · confirmed 1/4
    200675
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    Ireland2008 · 128 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2008128
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    BrooklynEilis Lacey #12009 · 272 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2009272
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    The Empty Family2010 · confirmed 1/4
    2010–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    All a Novelist Needs2010 · 148 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2010148
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    The Testament of Mary2012 · 114 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2012114
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    New Ways to Kill Your Mother2012 · 346 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2012346
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    Nora Webster2014 · confirmed 1/4
    2014–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    On Elizabeth BishopWriters on Writers #52015 · 209 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2015209
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    House of Names2017 · 288 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2017288
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Colm Tóibín 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.

Eilis Lacey in order

2 books
  1. 1. Brooklyn
  2. 2. Long Island

Writers on Writers in order

1 book
  1. 5. On Elizabeth Bishop

Standalone books

39 books

39 Colm Tóibín titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Colm Tóibín Books in Chronological Order

By publication date, the Colm Tóibín books run from Seeing Is Believing (1985) to The Bridge (2026), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Colm Tóibín in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.

Do you have to read Colm Tóibín books in order?

You only need to read Colm Tóibín books in order within the Eilis Lacey series, which holds 2 of the 42 Colm Tóibín books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.

Where to start with Colm Tóibín

Start with Seeing Is Believing (1985), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Colm Tóibín book?

The Bridge (2026) is the newest Colm Tóibín book released so far.

Is there a new Colm Tóibín book coming?

No next Colm Tóibín 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 Colm Tóibín has won

Wikidata records 9 awards and 6 nominations for Colm Tóibín. The most recent 12 are listed here. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Bodley Medal2023Won
  • Runciman Award2018Won
  • Premio Arcebispo Xoán de San Clemente de novela estranxeira2016Wonfor The Testament of Mary
  • Hawthornden Prize2015Won
  • Premio Arcebispo Xoán de San Clemente de novela estranxeira2012Wonfor Brooklyn
  • Costa Book Awards2009Won
  • Dublin Literary Award2006Wonfor The Master
  • E. M. Forster Award1995Won
  • Encore Award1993Won
  • Booker Prize2013Shortlistedfor The Testament of Mary
  • Booker Prize2009Shortlistedfor Brooklyn
  • Dublin Literary Award2006Shortlistedfor The Master

Colm Tóibín at a glance

Still publishing
Colm Tóibín published a book as recently as 2026.
Release pace
Colm Tóibín books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
6,550 pages across the 32 of 42 books with a recorded length, a median of 194 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Colm Tóibín books, 12 of 42, were published in the 1990s.

What the Colm Tóibín books are about

35 of the 42 Colm Tóibín books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: history is tagged on 7 of 35. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

  • History 7 of 35 books
  • Social life and customs 5 of 35 books
  • Criticism and interpretation 4 of 35 books
  • Biography 3 of 35 books
  • Travel 3 of 35 books
  • Family life 3 of 35 books
  • Gay men 3 of 35 books
  • In literature 3 of 35 books
  • Irish Authors 3 of 35 books
  • Politics and government 3 of 35 books
  • Authors 2 of 35 books