Order of Book Series
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Doris Lessing Books in Order

Doris Lessing has written 66 books, published between 1950 and 2013. The first book is The Grass Is Singing (1950) and the newest is An Old Woman and Her Cat (2013). Publication order is the reading order below.

Doris Lessing also publishes as Jane Somers.

Books
66
Published
1950–2013
Pages on record
17,700 in 59 of 66 books
Reading time
295–443 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 17,700 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 59 of 66 titles with a page count on record.

See all 66 books in order Printable Doris Lessing checklist
Photo of Doris Lessing, author

Doris Lessing, born Doris May Tayler on 22 October 1919 and died on 17 November 2013, was a British novelist and the winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature. Born in Iran to British parents, Lessing lived there until 1925, grew up in Southern Rhodesia - now Zimbabwe - and moved to London in 1949, which is why the early career is sometimes labelled Rhodesian. The catalogue holds 66 titles from The Grass Is Singing (1950) to An Old Woman and Her Cat (2013). Children of Violence and Canopus in Argos are the two five-novel sequences; the Diaries of Jane Somers, The Fifth Child, Mara and Dann and the Collected African Stories follow. Africa, women and British social life recur as subjects.

How many Doris Lessing books are there?

Doris Lessing has 66 books, released between 1950 and 2013. They include 6 series and 47 titles listed outside any series.

Doris Lessing Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 66 Doris Lessing 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 Grass Is Singing by Doris Lessing (1950)
  2. Cover of Martha Quest by Doris Lessing, book 1 of the Children of Violence series (1952)
  3. Cover of The Old Chief Mshlanga by Doris Lessing, book 1 of the Doris Lessing's Collected African Stories series (1952)
  4. Cover of Going Home by Doris Lessing (1957)
  5. Cover of The Habit of Loving by Doris Lessing (1957)
  6. Cover of The Day Stalin Died by Doris Lessing (1958)
  7. Cover of A Ripple from the Storm by Doris Lessing, book 3 of the Children of Violence series (1958)
  8. Cover of In Pursuit Of The English by Doris Lessing (1960)
  9. Cover of The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing (1962)
  10. Cover of A Man and Two Women by Doris Lessing (1963)
  11. Cover of Winter in July by Doris Lessing (1964)
  12. Cover of African Stories by Doris Lessing (1965)
  13. Cover of On Cats by Doris Lessing (1967)
  14. Cover of Particularly Cats by Doris Lessing (1967)
  15. Cover of The Four-Gated City by Doris Lessing, book 4 of the Children of Violence series (1969)
  16. Cover of Briefing for a Descent Into Hell by Doris Lessing (1971)
  17. Cover of Report on the Threatened City by Doris Lessing (1972)
  18. Cover of The Summer Before the Dark by Doris Lessing (1973)
  19. Cover of The Memoirs of a Survivor by Doris Lessing (1974)
  20. Cover of Stories by Doris Lessing (1978)
  21. Cover of The Story of a Non-Marrying Man by Doris Lessing (1979)
  22. Cover of The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four, and Five by Doris Lessing, book 2 of the Canopus in Argos series (1980)
  23. Cover of The Sirian Experiments by Doris Lessing, book 3 of the Canopus in Argos series (1980)
  24. Cover of The Making of the Representative for Planet 8 by Doris Lessing, book 4 of the Canopus in Argos series (1982)
  1. 1
    The Grass Is Singing1950 · 208 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1950208
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Martha QuestChildren of Violence #11952 · 327 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1952327
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    The Old Chief MshlangaDoris Lessing's Collected African Stories #11952 · 418 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1952418
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Five1954 · 396 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1954396
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    A Proper MarriageChildren of Violence #21954 · 447 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1954447
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Retreat to Innocence1956 · confirmed 1/4
    1956–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Going Home1957 · 256 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1957256
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    The Habit of Loving1957 · confirmed 1/4
    1957–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    The Day Stalin Died1958 · 386 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1958386
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    A Ripple from the StormChildren of Violence #31958 · 334 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1958334
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Fourteen Poems1959 · confirmed 1/4
    1959–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    In Pursuit Of The English1960 · 224 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1960224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    The Golden Notebook1962 · 640 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1962640
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    A Man and Two Women1963 · 316 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1963316
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Winter in July1964 · 221 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1964221
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    African Stories1965 · 666 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1965666
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Nine African Stories1965 · confirmed 1/4
    1965–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    The Black Madonna1966 · 382 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1966382
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    On Cats1967 · 256 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1967256
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Particularly Cats1967 · 128 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1967128
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    The Four-Gated CityChildren of Violence #41969 · 668 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1969668
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    LandlockedChildren of Violence #51969 · 347 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1969347
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    Briefing for a Descent Into Hell1971 · 288 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1971288
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    Report on the Threatened City1972 · 308 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1972308
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    The Summer Before the Dark1973 · 240 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1973240
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    A Small Personal Voice1974 · 235 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1974235
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    The Memoirs of a Survivor1974 · 213 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1974213
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    Stories1978 · 625 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1978625
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    Re: Colonised Planet 5, ShikastaCanopus in Argos #11979 · 364 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1979364
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    The Story of a Non-Marrying Man1979 · 281 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1979281
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Doris Lessing 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.

Children of Violence in order

5 books
  1. 1. Martha Quest
  2. 2. A Proper Marriage
  3. 3. A Ripple from the Storm
  4. 4. The Four-Gated City
  5. 5. Landlocked

Canopus in Argos in order

5 books
  1. 1. Re: Colonised Planet 5, Shikasta
  2. 2. The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four, and Five
  3. 3. The Sirian Experiments
  4. 4. The Making of the Representative for Planet 8
  5. 5. The Sentimental Agents in the Volyen Empire

Diaries of Jane Somers in order

3 books
  1. 1. The Diary of Good Neighbour
  2. 2. The Diaries of Jane Somers
  3. 3. If the Old Could...

Doris Lessing's Collected African Stories in order

2 books
  1. 1. The Old Chief Mshlanga
  2. 2. The Sun Between Their Feet

Fifth Child in order

2 books
  1. 1. The Fifth Child
  2. 2. Ben, In the World: The Sequel to the Fifth Child

Mara and Dann in order

2 books
  1. 1. Mara and Dann
  2. 2. The Story of General Dann and Mara's Daughter, Griot and the Snow Dog

Standalone books

47 books

47 Doris Lessing titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Doris Lessing Books in Chronological Order

By publication date, the Doris Lessing books run from The Grass Is Singing (1950) to An Old Woman and Her Cat (2013), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Doris Lessing in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.

Do you have to read Doris Lessing books in order?

You only need to read Doris Lessing books in order within each series: the books listed here span 6 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Doris Lessing

Start with The Grass Is Singing (1950), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Doris Lessing book?

An Old Woman and Her Cat (2013) is the newest Doris Lessing book released so far.

Is there a new Doris Lessing book coming?

No next Doris Lessing 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 Doris Lessing has won

Wikidata records 9 awards and 3 nominations for Doris Lessing. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Nobel Prize in Literature2007Won
  • David Cohen Prize2001Won
  • Princess of Asturias Literary Prize2001Won
  • James Tait Black Memorial Prize1995Won
  • Grinzane Cavour Prize1989Won
  • Trevi award1987Won
  • Austrian State Prize for European Literature1981Won
  • Prix Médicis étranger1976Won
  • Somerset Maugham Award1954Won
  • Booker Prize1985Shortlistedfor The Good Terrorist
  • Booker Prize1981Shortlistedfor The Sirian Experiments
  • Booker Prize1971Shortlistedfor Briefing for a Descent into Hell

Doris Lessing at a glance

Died
Doris Lessing died in 2013, according to Wikidata.
Last book
The newest book credited to Doris Lessing on record dates from 2013.
Release pace
Doris Lessing books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
17,700 pages across the 59 of 66 books with a recorded length, a median of 282 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Doris Lessing books, 13 of 66, were published in the 1980s.

What the Doris Lessing books are about

60 of the 66 Doris Lessing 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 10 of 60. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.