Order of Book Series
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Earl Derr Biggers Books in Order

15 books are credited to Earl Derr Biggers, published between 1913 and 1985; 2 of them appeared after Earl Derr Biggers's death in 1933. The first book is Seven Keys to Baldpate (1913) and the newest is Celebrated Cases of Charlie Chan (1985). Publication order is the reading order below. 8 of the 15 books listed here are in the Charlie Chan series, which has its own page: Charlie Chan books in order.

Books
15
Published
1913–1985
Pages on record
2,153 in 6 of 15 books
See all 15 books in order Printable Earl Derr Biggers checklist
Photo of Earl Derr Biggers, author

Earl Derr Biggers (1884-1933) was an American novelist and playwright who created Charlie Chan, a Chinese American detective working in Hawaii. The Chan novels begin with The House Without a Key (1925) and continue through The Chinese Parrot (1926), Behind That Curtain (1928) and The Black Camel (1929); film adaptations followed in the United States and in China. The catalogue holds 15 titles, opening with Seven Keys to Baldpate (1913) and closing with the collection Celebrated Cases of Charlie Chan (1985).

How many Earl Derr Biggers books are there?

Earl Derr Biggers has 15 books, released between 1913 and 1985. 2 of them were published after Earl Derr Biggers's death in 1933. 8 of them belong to the Charlie Chan series.

Earl Derr Biggers Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 15 Earl Derr Biggers 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 Agony Column by Earl Derr Biggers (1916)
  2. Cover of The House Without a Key by Earl Derr Biggers, book 1 of the Charlie Chan series (1925)
  3. Cover of Earl Derr Biggers Tells Ten Stories by Earl Derr Biggers (1933)
  4. Cover of Charlie Chan in the Temple of the Golden Horde by Earl Derr Biggers, book 7 of the Charlie Chan series (1974)
  5. Cover of Celebrated Cases of Charlie Chan by Earl Derr Biggers, book 1 of the Charlie Chan series (1985)
  1. 1
    Seven Keys to Baldpate1913 · confirmed 2/4
    1913–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Love Insurance1914 · 152 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1914152
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Inside the Lines1915 · 204 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1915204
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The Agony Column1916 · 108 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1916108
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    The Ebony Stick1916 · confirmed 2/4
    1916–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    The House Without a KeyCharlie Chan #11925 · confirmed 2/4
    1925–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    The Chinese ParrotCharlie Chan #21926 · confirmed 2/4
    1926–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Fifty Candles1926 · 104 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1926104
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Behind That CurtainCharlie Chan #31928 · 237 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1928237
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    The Black CamelCharlie Chan #41929 · confirmed 2/4
    1929–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Charlie Chan Carries OnCharlie Chan #51930 · confirmed 2/4
    1930–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Keeper of the KeysCharlie Chan #61932 · confirmed 2/4
    1932–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Earl Derr Biggers Tells Ten Stories1933 · confirmed 2/4
    1933–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Charlie Chan in the Temple of the Golden HordeCharlie Chan #71974 · confirmed 2/4
    1974–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Celebrated Cases of Charlie ChanCharlie Chan #11985 · 1348 pages · confirmed 2/4
    19851348
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Earl Derr Biggers series in order

The series linked below has its own reading-order page.

Earl Derr Biggers 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

7 books

7 Earl Derr Biggers titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Earl Derr Biggers books in order?

You only need to read Earl Derr Biggers books in order within the Charlie Chan series, which holds 8 of the 15 Earl Derr Biggers books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.

Where to start with Earl Derr Biggers

Start with The House Without a Key (1925), the first Charlie Chan book. The earliest catalogued title overall is Seven Keys to Baldpate (1913).

What is the newest Earl Derr Biggers book?

Celebrated Cases of Charlie Chan (1985) is the newest Earl Derr Biggers book released so far.

Is there a new Earl Derr Biggers book coming?

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

Earl Derr Biggers at a glance

Died
Earl Derr Biggers died in 1933, according to Wikidata.
After death
Books credited to Earl Derr Biggers are still being published after Earl Derr Biggers's death in 1933; the newest appeared in 1985.
Release pace
Earl Derr Biggers books have appeared about one every 5 years on average.
Length
2,153 pages across the 6 of 15 books with a recorded length, a median of 178 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Earl Derr Biggers books, 5 of 15, were published in the 1920s.

What the Earl Derr Biggers books are about

9 of the 15 Earl Derr Biggers books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: charlie chan (fictitious character) is tagged on 7 of 9. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.