Order of Book Series
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John R. Erickson Books in Order

John R. Erickson has written 121 books, published between 1978 and 2025. The first book is Through Time and the Valley (1978) and the newest is The Case of the Poison Toad (2025). Publication order is the reading order below. 90 of the 121 books listed here are in the Hank the Cowdog series, which has its own page: Hank the Cowdog books in order.

Books
121
Published
1978–2025
Confirmed
1 of 121 titles
Pages on record
11,570 in 88 of 121 books
Reading time
193–289 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 11,570 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 88 of 121 titles with a page count on record.

See all 121 books in order Printable John R. Erickson checklist

John R. Erickson is an American cowboy and author, born October 20, 1943, best known for the Hank the Cowdog series of children's novels. The catalogue lists 121 Erickson books from Through Time and the Valley (1978) to The Case of the Poison Toad (2025). The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog (1980) and The Further Adventures of Hank the Cowdog (1983) sit alongside titles such as Panhandle Cowboy (1980) and Cowboys Are Partly Human (1983). Subject tags include dogs, ranch life, humorous stories and the American West.

How many John R. Erickson books are there?

John R. Erickson has 121 books, released between 1978 and 2025. They include 3 series and 23 titles listed outside any series.

John R. Erickson Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 121 John R. Erickson 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 Through Time and the Valley by John R. Erickson (1978)
  2. Cover of The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog by John R. Erickson, book 1 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1980)
  3. Cover of Panhandle Cowboy by John R. Erickson (1980)
  4. Cover of The Modern Cowboy by John R. Erickson (1981)
  5. Cover of The Further Adventures of Hank the Cowdog by John R. Erickson, book 2 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1983)
  6. Cover of The Hunter by John R. Erickson (1984)
  7. Cover of It's a Dog's Life by John R. Erickson, book 3 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1984)
  8. Cover of Murder in the Middle Pasture by John R. Erickson, book 4 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1985)
  9. Cover of Cowboy Country by John R. Erickson (1986)
  10. Cover of Cowboys Are A Separate Species by John R. Erickson (1986)
  11. Cover of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie by John R. Erickson, book 6 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1986)
  12. Cover of The Curse of the Incredible Priceless Corncob by John R. Erickson, book 7 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1986)
  13. Cover of The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse by John R. Erickson, book 8 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1987)
  14. Cover of The Case of the Halloween Ghost by John R. Erickson, book 9 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1987)
  15. Cover of Every Dog Has His Day by John R. Erickson, book 10 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1988)
  16. Cover of Lost in the Dark Unchanted Forest by John R. Erickson, book 11 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1988)
  17. Cover of The Case of the Fiddle Playing Fox by John R. Erickson, book 12 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1989)
  18. Cover of The Wounded Buzzard on Christmas Eve by John R. Erickson, book 13 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1989)
  19. Cover of Hank the Cowdog and Monkey Business by John R. Erickson, book 14 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1990)
  20. Cover of The Case of the Missing Cat by John R. Erickson, book 15 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1990)
  21. Cover of Cowboy Fiddler in Bob Wills' Band by John R. Erickson (1991)
  22. Cover of Lost in the Blinded Blizzard by John R. Erickson, book 16 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1991)
  23. Cover of The Case of the Car-Barkaholic Dog by John R. Erickson, book 17 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1991)
  24. Cover of The Case of the Hooking Bull by John R. Erickson, book 18 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1992)
  1. 1
    Through Time and the Valley1978 · 230 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1978230
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    The Original Adventures of Hank the CowdogHank the Cowdog #11980 · 144 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1980144
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Panhandle Cowboy1980 · 207 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1980207
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The Modern Cowboy1981 · 211 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1981211
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Cowboys Are Partly Human1983 · 100 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1983100
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    The Devil in Texas and Other Cowboy Tales1983 · 93 pages · confirmed 1/4
    198393
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    The Further Adventures of Hank the CowdogHank the Cowdog #21983 · confirmed 2/4
    1983–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Alkali County Tales1984 · 110 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1984110
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    The Hunter1984 · 183 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1984183
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Ace Reid Cowpoke1984 · 156 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1984156
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    It's a Dog's LifeHank the Cowdog #31984 · 136 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1984136
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Essays on Writing and Publishing1985 · confirmed 1/4
    1985–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Murder in the Middle PastureHank the Cowdog #41985 · confirmed 2/4
    1985–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Faded LoveHank the Cowdog #51985 · confirmed 2/4
    1985–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Cowboy Country1986 · 128 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1986128
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Cowboys Are A Separate Species1986 · 95 pages · confirmed 1/4
    198695
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Let Sleeping Dogs LieHank the Cowdog #61986 · confirmed 2/4
    1986–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    The Curse of the Incredible Priceless CorncobHank the Cowdog #71986 · 136 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1986136
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    The Long Look1987 · confirmed 1/4
    1987–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud HorseHank the Cowdog #81987 · 136 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1987136
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    The Case of the Halloween GhostHank the Cowdog #91987 · 131 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1987131
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    Cowboys Are Old Enough to Know Better1988 · confirmed 1/4
    1988–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    Every Dog Has His DayHank the Cowdog #101988 · confirmed 2/4
    1988–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    Lost in the Dark Unchanted ForestHank the Cowdog #111988 · confirmed 2/4
    1988–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    The Case of the Fiddle Playing FoxHank the Cowdog #121989 · 131 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1989131
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    The Wounded Buzzard on Christmas EveHank the Cowdog #131989 · 112 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1989112
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    Hank the Cowdog and Monkey BusinessHank the Cowdog #141990 · 110 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1990110
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    The Case of the Missing CatHank the Cowdog #151990 · 114 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1990114
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    Cowboy Fiddler in Bob Wills' Band1991 · 168 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1991168
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    Lost in the Blinded BlizzardHank the Cowdog #161991 · 115 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1991115
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

John R. Erickson series in order

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

John R. Erickson 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.

Hank's Ranch Life in order

4 books
  1. 1. Cowboys and Horses
  2. 2. Ranching and Livestock
  3. 3. Ranch Wildlife
  4. 4. Ranch Weather

Riley McDaniels in order

3 books
  1. 1. Moonshiner's Gold
  2. 2. Discovery at Flint Springs
  3. 3. Fear's Return

Elmer Kelton Non-Fiction

1 book

1 title published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.

Standalone books

23 books

23 John R. Erickson titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read John R. Erickson books in order?

You only need to read John R. Erickson 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 R. Erickson

Start with The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog (1980), the first Hank the Cowdog book. The earliest catalogued title overall is Through Time and the Valley (1978).

What is the newest John R. Erickson book?

The Case of the Poison Toad (2025) is the newest John R. Erickson book released so far.

Is there a new John R. Erickson book coming?

No next John R. Erickson 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 R. Erickson at a glance

Still publishing
John R. Erickson published a book as recently as 2025.
Release pace
John R. Erickson books have appeared more than one a year on average.
Length
11,570 pages across the 88 of 121 books with a recorded length, a median of 125 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most John R. Erickson books, 35 of 121, were published in the 2010s.

What the John R. Erickson books are about

97 of the 121 John R. Erickson books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: dogs is tagged on 70 of 97. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.