E.L. Doctorow Books in Order
E.L. Doctorow has written 26 books, published between 1960 and 2014. The first book is Welcome to Hard Times (1960) and the newest is Andrew's Brain (2014). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 26
- Published
- 1960–2014
- Confirmed
- 4 of 26 titles
- Pages on record
- 5,399 in 23 of 26 books
- Reading time
- 90–135 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 5,399 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 23 of 26 titles with a page count on record.
E.L. Doctorow (January 6, 1931 - July 21, 2015) was an American novelist, editor and professor whose reputation rests on historical fiction. Doctorow's output comprised twelve novels, three volumes of short fiction and a stage drama. Ragtime (1975), Billy Bathgate (1989) and The March (2005) all won awards, and much of the fiction sets invented characters beside real historical figures while shifting narrative styles. The catalogue lists 26 books from Welcome to Hard Times (1960) to Andrew's Brain (2014), including The Book of Daniel (1971), Loon Lake (1980) and World's Fair (1985).
How many E.L. Doctorow books are there?
E.L. Doctorow has 26 books, released between 1960 and 2014.
E.L. Doctorow Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 26 E.L. Doctorow 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.
- 1Welcome to Hard Times1960 · 224 pages · confirmed 2/419602242/4
- 2Big As Life1966 · confirmed 2/41966–2/4
- 3The Book of Daniel1971 · 320 pages · confirmed 2/419713202/4
- 4Ragtime1975 · 320 pages · confirmed 2/419753202/4
- 5Drinks Before Dinner1979 · 56 pages · confirmed 2/41979562/4
- 6Loon Lake1980 · 272 pages · confirmed 2/419802722/4
- 7American Anthem1982 · 270 pages · confirmed 2/419822702/4
- 8Essays and Conversations1983 · 216 pages · confirmed 2/419832162/4
- 919841603/4
- 10World's Fair1985 · 288 pages · confirmed 2/419852882/4
- 111989–3/4
- 12Jack London, Hemingway, and the Constitution: Selected Essays, 1977-19921993 · 206 pages · confirmed 2/419932062/4
- 13Poets and Presidents: Selected Essays, 1977-921994 · confirmed 2/41994–2/4
- 14The Waterworks1994 · 272 pages · confirmed 2/419942722/4
- 1519992283/4
- 16City of God2000 · 272 pages · confirmed 2/420002722/4
- 17Lamentation: 9/112002 · 135 pages · confirmed 2/420021352/4
- 18Three Screenplays: Daniel, Ragtime, Loon Lake2003 · 464 pages · confirmed 2/420034642/4
- 1920031443/4
- 20Sweet Land Stories2004 · 160 pages · confirmed 2/420041602/4
- 21The March2005 · 384 pages · confirmed 2/420053842/4
- 22Creationists: Selected Essays, 1993-20062006 · 192 pages · confirmed 2/420061922/4
- 23Homer & Langley2009 · 224 pages · confirmed 2/420092242/4
- 24Poems for Life: A Special Collection of Poetry2011 · 107 pages · confirmed 2/420111072/4
- 25All the Time in the World2011 · 277 pages · confirmed 2/420112772/4
- 26Andrew's Brain2014 · 208 pages · confirmed 2/420142082/4
E.L. Doctorow 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.
Random House Reader's Circle in order
2 booksWilliam E. Massey Sr. Lectures in order
1 bookLiterary Conversations in order
1 bookStandalone books
22 books22 E.L. Doctorow titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read E.L. Doctorow books in order?
No. No source lists any of the 26 E.L. Doctorow books here as part of a series. The numbered table above gives them by publication date.
Where to start with E.L. Doctorow
Start with Welcome to Hard Times (1960), the earliest published title.
What is the newest E.L. Doctorow book?
Andrew's Brain (2014) is the newest E.L. Doctorow book released so far.
Is there a new E.L. Doctorow book coming?
No next E.L. Doctorow 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 E.L. Doctorow has won
Wikidata records 10 awards and 11 nominations for E.L. Doctorow. The most recent 12 are listed here. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- St. Louis Literary Award2008Won
- PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction2006Wonfor The March
- Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction2006Won
- National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction2005Wonfor The March
- Helmerich Award1998Won
- PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction1990Wonfor Billy Bathgate
- William Dean Howells Medal of the American Academy of Arts and Letters1990Won
- National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction1989Wonfor Billy Bathgate
- National Book Award for Fiction1986Won
- National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction1975Wonfor Ragtime
- International Booker Prize2009Shortlisted
- Neustadt International Prize for Literature2008Shortlisted
E.L. Doctorow at a glance
- Died
- E.L. Doctorow died in 2015, according to Wikidata.
- Last book
- The newest book credited to E.L. Doctorow on record dates from 2014.
- Release pace
- E.L. Doctorow books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 5,399 pages across the 23 of 26 books with a recorded length, a median of 224 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most E.L. Doctorow books, 8 of 26, were published in the 2000s.
What the E.L. Doctorow books are about
23 of the 26 E.L. Doctorow 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 4 of 23. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- History 4 of 23 books
- Historical fiction 3 of 23 books
- Social life and customs 3 of 23 books
- Adirondack Mountains (N.Y.) 2 of 23 books
- Novelists 2 of 23 books
- Authorship 2 of 23 books
- City and town life 2 of 23 books
- Drama 2 of 23 books
- Interpersonal relations 2 of 23 books
- Interviews 2 of 23 books
- National Book Critics Circle Award Winner 2 of 23 books
- Pictorial works 2 of 23 books