Order of Book Series
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James Dickey Books in Order

15 books are credited to James Dickey, published between 1962 and 2015; 2 of them appeared after James Dickey's death in 1997. The first book is Drowning with Others (1962) and the newest is Death, and the Day's Light (2015). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
15
Published
1962–2015
Pages on record
1,521 in 7 of 15 books
See all 15 books in order Printable James Dickey checklist
Photo of James Dickey, author

James Lafayette Dickey (February 2, 1923 to January 19, 1997) was an American poet, novelist, critic and lecturer, appointed the 18th United States Poet Laureate in 1966. Dickey received the National Book Award for Poetry and a Guggenheim Fellowship. The debut novel Deliverance (1970) is Dickey's most widely known work, and Dickey adapted it for the 1972 film. Dickey was a decorated veteran of the Second World War and the Korean War, serving as a navigator with the United States Air Force's 418th Night Fighter Squadron. The catalogue holds 15 books, including Drowning with Others (1962), Buckdancer's Choice (1965) and Alnilam (1987).

How many James Dickey books are there?

James Dickey has 15 books, released between 1962 and 2015. 2 of them were published after James Dickey's death in 1997.

James Dickey Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 15 James Dickey 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 Central Motion by James Dickey (1983)
  2. Cover of Night Hurdling by James Dickey (1983)
  3. Cover of Alnilam by James Dickey (1987)
  4. Cover of From the Green Horseshoes by James Dickey (1987)
  5. Cover of The Eagle's Mile by James Dickey (1990)
  6. Cover of To the White Sea by James Dickey (1993)
  1. 1
    Drowning with Others1962 · 14 pages · confirmed 1/4
    196214
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  2. 2
    Buckdancer's Choice1965 · confirmed 1/4
    1965–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Poems, 1957-671968 · confirmed 1/4
    1968–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Deliverance1970 · confirmed 1/4
    1970–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    The Zodiac1976 · confirmed 1/4
    1976–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    For a Time and Place1983 · confirmed 1/4
    1983–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    The Central Motion1983 · 148 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1983148
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Night Hurdling1983 · 356 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1983356
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Sorties1984 · confirmed 1/4
    1984–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Alnilam1987 · 682 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1987682
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    From the Green Horseshoes1987 · 163 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1987163
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    The Eagle's Mile1990 · 66 pages · confirmed 1/4
    199066
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    To the White Sea1993 · confirmed 1/4
    1993–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    The Selected Poems1998 · confirmed 1/4
    1998–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Death, and the Day's Light2015 · 92 pages · confirmed 1/4
    201592
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

James Dickey 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

15 books

15 James Dickey titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read James Dickey books in order?

No. No source lists any of the 15 James Dickey books here as part of a series. The numbered table above gives them by publication date.

Where to start with James Dickey

Start with Drowning with Others (1962), the earliest published title.

What is the newest James Dickey book?

Death, and the Day's Light (2015) is the newest James Dickey book released so far.

Is there a new James Dickey book coming?

No next James Dickey 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 James Dickey has won

Wikidata records 2 awards for James Dickey. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Prix Médicis étranger1971Won
  • National Book Award1966Won

James Dickey at a glance

Died
James Dickey died in 1997, according to Wikidata.
After death
Books credited to James Dickey are still being published after James Dickey's death in 1997; the newest appeared in 2015.
Release pace
James Dickey books have appeared about one every 4 years on average.
Length
1,521 pages across the 7 of 15 books with a recorded length, a median of 148 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most James Dickey books, 6 of 15, were published in the 1980s.

What the James Dickey books are about

8 of the 15 James Dickey books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: poetry is tagged on 3 of 8. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.