Order of Book Series
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Julian Symons Books in Order

140 books are credited to Julian Symons, published between 1938 and 2006; 5 of them appeared after Julian Symons's death in 1994. The first book is Poem (1938) and the newest is The Detections of Francis Quarles (2006). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
140
Published
1938–2006
Pages on record
11,079 in 51 of 140 books
See all 140 books in order Printable Julian Symons checklist

Julian Symons (1912–1994) was a British crime writer and poet, born in Clapham, London, who died in Walmer, Kent. Alongside crime fiction, Symons wrote social and military history, biography and literary studies. The catalogue records 140 works from 1938 to 2006, starting with Poem (1938) and including Confusions About X (1939) and Obscurity and Dylan Thomas (1940). Series include Inspector Bland, Inspector Crambo, Francis Quarles and Sheridan Haynes, and The Detections of Francis Quarles (2006) is the latest entry.

How many Julian Symons books are there?

Julian Symons has 140 books, released between 1938 and 2006. 5 of them were published after Julian Symons's death in 1994. They include 6 series and 107 titles listed outside any series.

Julian Symons Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 140 Julian Symons 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 The Immaterial Murder Case by Julian Symons, book 1 of the Inspector Bland series (1945)
  2. Cover of Bland Beginning by Julian Symons, book 2 of the Inspector Bland series (1949)
  3. Cover of A Man Called Jones by Julian Symons, book 3 of the Inspector Bland series (1949)
  4. Cover of The 31st Of February by Julian Symons (1950)
  5. Cover of The Paper Chase / Bogue's Fortune by Julian Symons (1956)
  6. Cover of The Colour Of Murder by Julian Symons, book 70 of the British Library Crime Classics series (1957)
  7. Cover of The Progress of a Crime by Julian Symons, book 72 of the British Library Crime Classics series (1960)
  8. Cover of The Killing Of Francie Lake / The Plain Man by Julian Symons (1962)
  9. Cover of The End of Solomon Grundy by Julian Symons (1964)
  10. Cover of The Belting Inheritance by Julian Symons, book 78 of the British Library Crime Classics series (1965)
  11. Cover of The Man Whose Dreams Came True by Julian Symons, book 2 of the Joan Kahn-Harper series (1968)
  12. Cover of Eight Minutes to Kill by Julian Symons (1971)
  13. Cover of The Players and The Game by Julian Symons, book 3 of the Joan Kahn-Harper series (1972)
  14. Cover of Bloody Murder by Julian Symons (1972)
  15. Cover of Between the Wars by Julian Symons (1972)
  16. Cover of The Plot Against Roger Rider by Julian Symons, book 4 of the Joan Kahn-Harper series (1973)
  17. Cover of The Thirties by Julian Symons (1973)
  18. Cover of Buller's Campaign by Julian Symons (1974)
  19. Cover of A Three-Pipe Problem by Julian Symons, book 1 of the Sheridan Haynes series (1975)
  20. Cover of The Man Who Lost His Wife by Julian Symons, book 5 of the Joan Kahn-Harper series (1977)
  21. Cover of The Blackheath Poisonings by Julian Symons (1978)
  22. Cover of The Tell-Tale Heart: The Life and Works of Edgar Allan Poe by Julian Symons (1978)
  23. Cover of Agatha Christie, the Art of Her Crimes by Julian Symons (1981)
  24. Cover of Agatha Christie Cover Story by Julian Symons (1982)
  1. 1
    PoemJulian Symons Poems #11938 · confirmed 1/4
    1938–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Confusions About XJulian Symons Poems #21939 · confirmed 1/4
    1939–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    The Other CheekJulian Symons Poems #31939 · confirmed 1/4
    1939–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    A London Letter1940 · confirmed 1/4
    1940–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Louis MacNeice1940 · confirmed 1/4
    1940–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Obscurity and Dylan Thomas1940 · confirmed 1/4
    1940–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    PoemJulian Symons Poems #41940 · confirmed 1/4
    1940–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    PubJulian Symons Poems #51940 · confirmed 1/4
    1940–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    End of a YearJulian Symons Poems #61940 · confirmed 1/4
    1940–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    SpringJulian Symons Poems #71942 · confirmed 1/4
    1942–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Hart CraneJulian Symons Poems #81942 · confirmed 1/4
    1942–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Eleven MeetingsJulian Symons Poems #91942 · confirmed 1/4
    1942–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    The ClockJulian Symons Poems #101942 · confirmed 1/4
    1942–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    The Second ManJulian Symons Poems #111943 · confirmed 1/4
    1943–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    The Immaterial Murder CaseInspector Bland #11945 · 248 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1945248
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Restoration Comedy1945 · confirmed 1/4
    1945–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Strategy in War - and Peace1947 · confirmed 1/4
    1947–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    Low-Down on the Left1947 · confirmed 1/4
    1947–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    The Big Five1947 · confirmed 1/4
    1947–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    A Pack of Cards1947 · confirmed 1/4
    1947–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Live Words Among the Dead1947 · confirmed 1/4
    1947–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    Between Two Beards1947 · confirmed 1/4
    1947–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    Pick Your Poet1948 · confirmed 1/4
    1948–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    What Makes a Criminal?1948 · confirmed 1/4
    1948–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    Antidote, Tonic - or Escape?1948 · confirmed 1/4
    1948–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    The Biggest Problem in the World1948 · confirmed 1/4
    1948–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    A Bird in the Bush1948 · confirmed 1/4
    1948–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    Selected Writings of Samuel Johnson Falcon Prose Classics1949 · confirmed 1/4
    1949–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    Bland BeginningInspector Bland #21949 · 270 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1949270
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    A Man Called JonesInspector Bland #31949 · 258 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1949258
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Julian Symons series in order

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

Julian Symons 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.

Inspector Bland in order

3 books
  1. 1. The Immaterial Murder Case
  2. 2. Bland Beginning
  3. 3. A Man Called Jones

Francis Quarles in order

3 books
  1. 1. Murder! Murder!
  2. 2. Francis Quarles Investigates: Tales for the Connoisseur of Detective Fiction
  3. 3. The Detections of Francis Quarles

British Library Crime Classics in order

3 books
  1. 70. The Colour Of Murder
  2. 72. The Progress of a Crime
  3. 78. The Belting Inheritance

Inspector Crambo in order

2 books
  1. 1. The Narrowing Circle
  2. 2. The Gigantic Shadow / The Pipe Dream

Sheridan Haynes in order

2 books
  1. 1. A Three-Pipe Problem
  2. 2. The Kentish Manor Murders

Standalone books

107 books

107 Julian Symons titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Julian Symons books in order?

You only need to read Julian Symons books in order within each series: the books listed here span 6 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Julian Symons

Start with the first book of the Julian Symons series you want to read: Julian Symons Poems starts with Poem (1938) and Joan Kahn-Harper starts with The Man Who Killed Himself (1967). The earliest catalogued title overall is Poem (1938).

What is the newest Julian Symons book?

The Detections of Francis Quarles (2006) is the newest Julian Symons book released so far.

Is there a new Julian Symons book coming?

No next Julian Symons 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 Julian Symons has won

Wikidata records 6 awards for Julian Symons. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Cartier Diamond Dagger1990Won
  • The Grand Master1982Won
  • Best Crime Novel in Swedish Translation1971Won
  • Gold Dagger1966Won
  • Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel1961Wonfor The Progress of a Crime
  • Gold Dagger1957Wonfor The Colour of Murder

Julian Symons at a glance

Died
Julian Symons died in 1994, according to Wikidata.
After death
Books credited to Julian Symons are still being published after Julian Symons's death in 1994; the newest appeared in 2006.
Release pace
Julian Symons books have appeared more than one a year on average.
Length
11,079 pages across the 51 of 140 books with a recorded length, a median of 226 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Julian Symons books, 39 of 140, were published in the 1950s.

What the Julian Symons books are about

48 of the 140 Julian Symons books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: mystery & detective is tagged on 22 of 48. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

  • Mystery & detective 22 of 48 books
  • Fiction in English 7 of 48 books
  • History and criticism 6 of 48 books
  • Biography 4 of 48 books
  • English literature 4 of 48 books
  • Murder 4 of 48 books
  • Social life and customs 4 of 48 books
  • England 3 of 48 books
  • History 3 of 48 books