Margaret Laurence Books in Order
23 books are credited to Margaret Laurence, published between 1954 and 2020; 6 of them appeared after Margaret Laurence's death in 1987. The first book is A Tree for Poverty (1954) and the newest is Recognition and Revelation (2020). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 23
- Published
- 1954–2020
- Pages on record
- 4,026 in 18 of 23 books
- Reading time
- 67–101 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 4,026 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 18 of 23 titles with a page count on record.
Jean Margaret Laurence (née Wemyss; July 18, 1926 - January 5, 1987) was a Canadian novelist and short story writer, and ranks among the major figures of Canadian literature. Laurence founded the Writers' Trust of Canada, a non-profit organization set up to support the country's writing community. The catalogue holds 23 books, from A Tree for Poverty (1954) to Recognition and Revelation (2020), taking in This Side Jordan (1960), The Prophet's Camel Bell (1963), The Stone Angel (1964) and A Jest of God (1966). The Manawaka Sequence is the series recorded under Laurence's name, and subjects include Canadian fiction, women, travel, correspondence and biography.
How many Margaret Laurence books are there?
Margaret Laurence has 23 books, released between 1954 and 2020. 6 of them were published after Margaret Laurence's death in 1987. 5 of them belong to the Manawaka Sequence series.
Margaret Laurence Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 23 Margaret Laurence 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.
- 1A Tree for Poverty1954 · 145 pages · confirmed 1/419541451/4
- 2Happy Families1958 · confirmed 1/41958–1/4
- 3This Side Jordan1960 · 281 pages · confirmed 1/419602811/4
- 4New Wind in a Dry Land1963 · confirmed 1/41963–1/4
- 5The Prophet's Camel Bell1963 · 272 pages · confirmed 1/419632721/4
- 6The Tomorrow-Tamer1963 · 176 pages · confirmed 1/419631761/4
- 719643161/4
- 819662151/4
- 9Long Drums and Cannons1968 · 270 pages · confirmed 1/419682701/4
- 10Now I Lay Me Down1968 · confirmed 1/41968–1/4
- 1119692861/4
- 12Jason's Quest1970 · confirmed 1/41970–1/4
- 1319741991/4
- 1419743891/4
- 15Heart of a Stranger1976 · 236 pages · confirmed 1/419762361/4
- 16The Olden Days Coat1979 · 32 pages · confirmed 1/41979321/4
- 17Christmas Birthday Story1980 · 32 pages · confirmed 1/41980321/4
- 18Dance on the Earth1989 · 320 pages · confirmed 1/419893201/4
- 19A Very Large Soul1995 · 264 pages · confirmed 1/419952641/4
- 20Embryo Words1997 · 65 pages · confirmed 1/41997651/4
- 21Selected Letters of Margaret Laurence and Adele Wiseman1997 · 424 pages · confirmed 1/419974241/4
- 22Intimate Strangers: The Letters of Margaret Laurence and Gabrielle Roy2004 · 104 pages · confirmed 1/420041041/4
- 23Recognition and Revelation2020 · confirmed 1/42020–1/4
Margaret Laurence 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.
Manawaka Sequence in order
5 booksStandalone books
18 books18 Margaret Laurence titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read Margaret Laurence books in order?
You only need to read Margaret Laurence books in order within the Manawaka Sequence series, which holds 5 of the 23 Margaret Laurence books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.
Where to start with Margaret Laurence
Start with A Tree for Poverty (1954), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Margaret Laurence book?
Recognition and Revelation (2020) is the newest Margaret Laurence book released so far.
Is there a new Margaret Laurence book coming?
No next Margaret Laurence 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 Margaret Laurence has won
Wikidata records 2 awards for Margaret Laurence. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Governor General's Award for English-language fiction1974Wonfor The Diviners
- Governor General's Award for English-language fiction1966Wonfor A Jest of God
Margaret Laurence at a glance
- Died
- Margaret Laurence died in 1987, according to Wikidata.
- After death
- Books credited to Margaret Laurence are still being published after Margaret Laurence's death in 1987; the newest appeared in 2020.
- Release pace
- Margaret Laurence books have appeared about one every 3 years on average.
- Length
- 4,026 pages across the 18 of 23 books with a recorded length, a median of 250 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Margaret Laurence books, 9 of 23, were published in the 1960s.
What the Margaret Laurence books are about
17 of the 23 Margaret Laurence books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: canadian fiction is tagged on 6 of 17. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Canadian fiction 6 of 17 books
- Women 5 of 17 books
- Canada 4 of 17 books
- Canadian literature 4 of 17 books
- Women authors 4 of 17 books
- Authors, Canadian 3 of 17 books
- Canadian Authors 3 of 17 books
- Correspondence 3 of 17 books
- Americans 2 of 17 books
- Authors, biography 2 of 17 books
- Biography 2 of 17 books
- Canadian Novelists 2 of 17 books