John Norman Books in Order
John Norman has written 53 books, published between 1967 and 2024. The first book is Tarnsman of Gor (1967) and the newest is Treasure of Gor (2024). Publication order is the reading order below. 38 of the 53 books listed here are in the Gor series, which has its own page: Gor books in order.
- Books
- 53
- Published
- 1967–2024
- Pages on record
- 22,841 in 47 of 53 books
- Reading time
- 381–571 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 22,841 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 47 of 53 titles with a page count on record.
John Norman is the pen name of John Frederick Lange Jr., born in 1931, an American writer and philosophy professor. The Gor novels are the main work: science fantasy set on the imaginary world of Gor, with Tarl Cabot recurring, running from Tarnsman of Gor (1967) to Treasure of Gor (2024) and filling most of a 53-book catalogue. The Telnarian Histories form a second series, and The Cognitivity Paradox (1970) is a work of philosophy. Slavery, adventure and erotica recur as subjects, in books with a median length of 488 pages.
How many John Norman books are there?
John Norman has 53 books, released between 1967 and 2024. They include 2 series and 10 titles listed outside any series.
John Norman Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 53 John Norman 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.
- 11967–2/4
- 21967–2/4
- 319684192/4
- 419693722/4
- 5Ghost Dance1970 · 350 pages · confirmed 2/419703502/4
- 6The Cognitivity Paradox: An Inquiry Concerning the Claims of Philosophy1970 · 117 pages · confirmed 2/419701172/4
- 719703922/4
- 819713322/4
- 919724082/4
- 10Imaginative Sex1974 · 306 pages · confirmed 2/419743062/4
- 1119743722/4
- 12Time Slave1975 · 466 pages · confirmed 2/419754662/4
- 1319753202/4
- 1419764562/4
- 1519775642/4
- 1619785202/4
- 1719795482/4
- 1819804322/4
- 1919813442/4
- 2019813682/4
- 2119823762/4
- 2219825722/4
- 2319835362/4
- 2419844682/4
- 2519854882/4
- 2619855562/4
- 2719865042/4
- 2819875442/4
- 2919886122/4
- 3019913122/4
- 3119923582/4
- 3219933482/4
- 3320017172/4
- 3420087242/4
- 35Norman Invasions2009 · 520 pages · confirmed 2/420095202/4
- 3620097302/4
- 37The Philosophy of Historiography2010 · 660 pages · confirmed 2/420106602/4
- 3820106042/4
- 3920115902/4
- 40The Totems of Abydos2012 · 564 pages · confirmed 2/420125642/4
- 4120126822/4
- 4220125642/4
- 4320136542/4
- 44Philosophy and the Challenge of the Future2015 · 484 pages · confirmed 2/420154842/4
- 4520156362/4
- 4620166782/4
- 47Between Iraq and a Hard Place2018 · 192 pages · confirmed 2/420181922/4
- 4820196222/4
- 49The Artist's Companion, and Manufacturer's Guide, Consisting of the Most Valuable Secrets in Arts and Trades2019 · confirmed 2/42019–2/4
- 5020194602/4
- 512021–2/4
- 522022–2/4
- 532024–2/4
John Norman series in order
The series linked below has its own reading-order page.
- Gor books in order 38 books
John Norman 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.
Telnarian Histories in order
5 books- 1. The Chieftain
- 2. The Captain
- 3. The King
- 4. The Usurper
- 5. The Emperor
Standalone books
10 books10 John Norman titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read John Norman books in order?
You only need to read John Norman books in order within each series: the books listed here span 2 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.
Where to start with John Norman
Start with Tarnsman of Gor (1967), the first Gor book. It is also the earliest catalogued title.
What is the newest John Norman book?
Treasure of Gor (2024) is the newest John Norman book released so far.
Is there a new John Norman book coming?
No next John Norman 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 Norman at a glance
- Still publishing
- John Norman published a book as recently as 2024.
- Release pace
- John Norman books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 22,841 pages across the 47 of 53 books with a recorded length, a median of 488 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most John Norman books, 14 of 53, were published in the 2010s.
What the John Norman books are about
47 of the 53 John Norman books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: fantasy is tagged on 32 of 47. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Fantasy 32 of 47 books
- Science fiction, action & adventure 26 of 47 books
- Gor (imaginary place) 25 of 47 books
- Science fiction 19 of 47 books
- Cabot, tarl (fictitious character) 16 of 47 books
- Erotica 14 of 47 books
- CollectionID:Sleazy_pulp 10 of 47 books
- Slaves 10 of 47 books
- Thrillers 8 of 47 books
- Action & adventure 3 of 47 books
- Fantasy, historical 3 of 47 books