John Milton Books in Order

John Milton has written 24 books, published between 1629 and 2017. The first book is On the Morning of Christ's Nativity (1629) and the newest is Milton's Tractate on Education (Short Story) (2017). Publication order is the reading order below. 21 of the 24 books listed here are in the John Milton Poetry and Prose series, which has its own page: John Milton Poetry and Prose books in order.

Books
24
Published
1629–2017
Confirmed
3 of 24 titles
Pages on record
5,163 in 11 of 24 books
Photo of John Milton, author of the John Milton Poetry and Prose series

John Milton (9 December 1608 - 8 November 1674) was an English poet, polemicist and civil servant. The 1667 epic Paradise Lost, composed in blank verse across 12 books, takes up the fall of man, the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan, and their expulsion from Eden; it raised Milton's standing among poets, and recognition arrived within his own lifetime. Milton served the Commonwealth of England under its Council of State and afterwards under Oliver Cromwell, in a period of religious flux and political upheaval. The catalogue carries 24 entries dated from On the Morning of Christ's Nativity (1629) onward, including Lycidas (1638), Areopagitica (1644) and Eikonoklastes (1649).

How many John Milton books are there?

John Milton has 24 books, released between 1629 and 2017. 21 of them belong to the John Milton Poetry and Prose series.

John Milton Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 24 John Milton 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. 11629228
  2. 2
    On ShakespeareJohn Milton Poetry and Prose #21630 · 577 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1630577
  3. 31632
  4. 41632
  5. 51638
  6. 6
    Of ReformationJohn Milton Poetry and Prose #61641 · 318 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1641318
  7. 7
    AreopagiticaJohn Milton Poetry and Prose #71644 · 528 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1644528
  8. 81645
  9. 91645
  10. 101649
  11. 111649
  12. 121652
  13. 13
    Paradise Lost & Other PoemsGothic Fantasy #11667 · confirmed 3/4
    1667
  14. 14
    Paradise LostJohn Milton Poetry and Prose #141667 · 506 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1667506
  15. 15167159
  16. 16
    Samson AgonistesJohn Milton Poetry and Prose #161671 · 240 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1671240
  17. 17
    The Complete PoemsJohn Milton Poetry and Prose #171673 · 982 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1673982
  18. 181673
  19. 19
    ArcadesJohn Milton Poetry and Prose #191673 · confirmed 1/4
    1673
  20. 201934
  21. 21
    Milton: PoemsEveryman's Library Pocket Poets #91936 · 256 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1936256
  22. 22
    The Riverside MiltonJohn Milton Poetry and Prose #211976 · 1213 pages · confirmed 1/4
    19761213
  23. 23
    Marvell: PoemsEveryman's Library Pocket Poets #192004 · 256 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2004256
  24. 242017

John Milton series in order

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

John Milton 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.

Everyman's Library Pocket Poets in order

2 books
  1. 9. Milton: Poems
  2. 19. Marvell: Poems

Gothic Fantasy in order

1 book
  1. 1. Paradise Lost & Other Poems

Do you have to read John Milton books in order?

You only need to read John Milton books in order within the John Milton Poetry and Prose series, which holds 21 of the 24 John Milton books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.

Where to start with John Milton

Start with On the Morning of Christ's Nativity (1629), the first John Milton Poetry and Prose book. It is also the earliest catalogued title.

What is the newest John Milton book?

Milton's Tractate on Education (Short Story) (2017) is the newest John Milton book released so far.

Is there a new John Milton book coming?

No next John Milton 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 Milton at a glance

No recent titles
The newest John Milton title on record dates from 2017, 9 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
Release pace
John Milton books have appeared about one every 17 years on average.
Length
5,163 pages across the 11 of 24 books with a recorded length, a median of 318 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most John Milton books, 6 of 24, were published in the 1640s.

What the John Milton books are about

11 of the 24 John Milton 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 8 of 11. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

  • Poetry 8 of 11 books
  • Bible, history of biblical events, poetry 3 of 11 books
  • Bible, in literature 2 of 11 books
  • Criticism and interpretation 2 of 11 books
  • Milton, john, 1608-1674, paradise lost 2 of 11 books
  • Milton, john, 1608-1674, sources 2 of 11 books