John Masters Books in Order
27 books are credited to John Masters, published between 1951 and 2003; 5 of them appeared after John Masters's death in 1983. The first book is Nightrunners Of Bengal (1951) and the newest is The Compleat Indian Angler (2003). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 27
- Published
- 1951–2003
- Pages on record
- 7,586 in 21 of 27 books
- Reading time
- 126–190 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 7,586 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 21 of 27 titles with a page count on record.
A British army officer turned novelist, John Masters (1914-1983) fought with the Chindits in Burma during the Second World War and became chief staff officer of the 19th Indian Infantry Division. Masters is best known for historical novels set in India, including Bhowani Junction (1954), filmed in 1956. Nightrunners Of Bengal (1951) opens the 27-book list. Masters also produced a three-volume autobiography and the Savage Family Chronicles.
How many John Masters books are there?
John Masters has 27 books, released between 1951 and 2003. 5 of them were published after John Masters's death in 1983. They include 3 series and 13 titles listed outside any series.
John Masters Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 27 John Masters 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.
- 119513311/4
- 219522851/4
- 319532881/4
- 419544141/4
- 519552951/4
- 619563201/4
- 719573841/4
- 819593201/4
- 9The Venus of Konpara1960 · 224 pages · confirmed 1/419602241/4
- 1019613521/4
- 11Trial at Monomoy1964 · confirmed 1/41964–1/4
- 12Fourteen Eighteen1970 · 177 pages · confirmed 1/419701771/4
- 131971–1/4
- 1419723651/4
- 15Thunder at Sunset1974 · 320 pages · confirmed 1/419743201/4
- 16The Field Marshal's Memoirs1975 · 303 pages · confirmed 1/419753031/4
- 1719797041/4
- 1819807041/4
- 1919816601/4
- 20The Glory of India1982 · 64 pages · confirmed 1/41982641/4
- 21The Himalayan Concerto1982 · 320 pages · confirmed 1/419823201/4
- 22Man Of War1983 · 372 pages · confirmed 1/419833721/4
- 23High Command1984 · confirmed 1/41984–1/4
- 24Fandango Rock1988 · confirmed 1/41988–1/4
- 25The Rock1989 · 384 pages · confirmed 1/419893841/4
- 26Casanova1999 · confirmed 1/41999–1/4
- 27The Compleat Indian Angler2003 · confirmed 1/42003–1/4
John Masters series in order
The series linked below has its own reading-order page.
John Masters 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.
Masters Autobiography Trilogy in order
3 booksLoss of Eden in order
3 booksStandalone books
13 books13 John Masters titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read John Masters books in order?
You only need to read John Masters books in order within each series: the books listed here span 3 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.
Where to start with John Masters
Start with Nightrunners Of Bengal (1951), the first Savage Family Chronicles book. It is also the earliest catalogued title.
What is the newest John Masters book?
The Compleat Indian Angler (2003) is the newest John Masters book released so far.
Is there a new John Masters book coming?
No next John Masters book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
John Masters at a glance
- Died
- John Masters died in 1983, according to Wikidata.
- After death
- Books credited to John Masters are still being published after John Masters's death in 1983; the newest appeared in 2003.
- Release pace
- John Masters books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 7,586 pages across the 21 of 27 books with a recorded length, a median of 320 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most John Masters books, 8 of 27, were published in the 1980s.
What the John Masters books are about
20 of the 27 John Masters books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: fiction in english is tagged on 5 of 20. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Fiction in English 5 of 20 books
- Historical fiction 5 of 20 books
- World War, 1914-1918 4 of 20 books
- History 3 of 20 books
- India 3 of 20 books
- War & military 3 of 20 books
- Action & adventure 2 of 20 books
- Great britain, army 2 of 20 books