Order of Book Series
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James Jones Books in Order

14 books are credited to James Jones, published between 1951 and 2011; 5 of them appeared after James Jones's death in 1977. The first book is From Here to Eternity (1951) and the newest is To the End of the War (2011). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
14
Published
1951–2011
Pages on record
3,375 in 11 of 14 books
Reading time
56–84 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 3,375 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 11 of 14 titles with a page count on record.

See all 14 books in order Printable James Jones checklist
Photo of James Jones, author of the World War II Trilogy

James Jones, born in 1921 and died in 1977, was an American novelist who wrote about the Second World War and what it left behind. From Here to Eternity, his debut, won the National Book Award in 1952, was filmed the following year, that film took the Academy Award for Best Picture, and was later made into a television series. The Thin Red Line (1962) and Whistle (1978) complete his World War II Trilogy. Fourteen titles are catalogued, from 1951 to 2011, including Some Came Running, The Pistol and the reportage of Viet Journal.

How many James Jones books are there?

James Jones has 14 books, released between 1951 and 2011. 5 of them were published after James Jones's death in 1977. 3 of them belong to the World War II Trilogy series.

James Jones Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 14 James Jones 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 From Here to Eternity by James Jones, book 1 of the World War II Trilogy (1951)
  2. Cover of The Pistol by James Jones (1960)
  3. Cover of The Thin Red Line by James Jones, book 2 of the World War II Trilogy (1962)
  4. Cover of The Merry Month of May by James Jones (1971)
  5. Cover of A Touch of Danger by James Jones (1973)
  6. Cover of Viet Journal by James Jones (1974)
  7. Cover of WW II: A Chronicle of Soldiering by James Jones (1975)
  8. Cover of Whistle by James Jones, book 3 of the World War II Trilogy (1978)
  9. Cover of To Reach Eternity: The Letters of James Jones by James Jones (1989)
  10. Cover of In Our Own Hands by James Jones (1994)
  1. 1
    From Here to EternityWorld War II Trilogy #11951 · confirmed 1/4
    1951–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Some Came Running1957 · confirmed 1/4
    1957–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    The Pistol1960 · 158 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1960158
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The Thin Red LineWorld War II Trilogy #21962 · 475 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1962475
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Go to the Widow-Maker1967 · confirmed 1/4
    1967–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    The Merry Month of May1971 · 298 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1971298
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    A Touch of Danger1973 · 431 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1973431
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Viet Journal1974 · 272 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1974272
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    WW II: A Chronicle of Soldiering1975 · 282 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1975282
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    WhistleWorld War II Trilogy #31978 · 496 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1978496
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 12
    To Reach Eternity: The Letters of James Jones1989 · 380 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1989380
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 13
    In Our Own Hands1994 · 123 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1994123
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 14
    To the End of the War2011 · 222 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2011222
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

James Jones 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.

World War II Trilogy in order

3 books
  1. 1. From Here to Eternity
  2. 2. The Thin Red Line
  3. 3. Whistle

Standalone books

11 books

11 James Jones titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read James Jones books in order?

You only need to read James Jones books in order within the World War II Trilogy series, which holds 3 of the 14 James Jones books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.

Where to start with James Jones

Start with From Here to Eternity (1951), the earliest published title.

What is the newest James Jones book?

To the End of the War (2011) is the newest James Jones book released so far.

Is there a new James Jones book coming?

No next James Jones 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 Jones has won

Wikidata records 1 award for James Jones. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

James Jones at a glance

Died
James Jones died in 1977, according to Wikidata.
After death
Books credited to James Jones are still being published after James Jones's death in 1977; the newest appeared in 2011.
Release pace
James Jones books have appeared about one every 5 years on average.
Length
3,375 pages across the 11 of 14 books with a recorded length, a median of 282 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most James Jones books, 5 of 14, were published in the 1970s.

What the James Jones books are about

All 14 James Jones books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: world war, 1939-1945 is tagged on 5 of 14. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.