Order of Book Series
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Nigel Tranter Books in Order

129 books are credited to Nigel Tranter, published between 1935 and 2008; 7 of them appeared after Nigel Tranter's death in 2000. The first book is The Fortalices and Early Mansions of Southern Scotland, 1400-1650 (1935) and the newest is More Tales and Traditions of Scottish Castles (2008). Publication order is the reading order below.

Nigel Tranter also publishes as Nye Tredgold.

Books
129
Published
1935–2008
Pages on record
27,283 in 88 of 129 books
Reading time
455–682 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 27,283 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 88 of 129 titles with a page count on record.

See all 129 books in order Printable Nigel Tranter checklist

Nigel Tranter wrote Scottish historical novels alongside non-fiction on history and architecture. 129 catalogued books run from The Fortalices and Early Mansions of Southern Scotland, 1400-1650 (1935) to More Tales and Traditions of Scottish Castles (2008), with the 1960s the busiest decade. The fiction sequences cover Robert The Bruce, the House Of Stewart, the Master Of Gray, James V, Montrose, Mary Stewart and the MacGregors. Tranter lived from 1909 to 2000 and the median book runs 328 pages.

How many Nigel Tranter books are there?

Nigel Tranter has 129 books, released between 1935 and 2008. 7 of them were published after Nigel Tranter's death in 2000. They include 7 series and 101 titles listed outside any series.

Nigel Tranter Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 129 Nigel Tranter 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 Harsh Heritage by Nigel Tranter (1940)
  2. Cover of The Gilded Fleece by Nigel Tranter (1942)
  3. Cover of Island Twilight by Nigel Tranter (1947)
  4. Cover of The Chosen Course by Nigel Tranter (1949)
  5. Cover of The Freebooters by Nigel Tranter (1950)
  6. Cover of Fast and Loose by Nigel Tranter (1951)
  7. Cover of Bridal Path by Nigel Tranter (1952)
  8. Cover of The Queen's Grace by Nigel Tranter (1953)
  9. Cover of The Stone by Nigel Tranter (1958)
  10. Cover of Balefire by Nigel Tranter (1958)
  11. Cover of The Clansman by Nigel Tranter, book 2 of the MacGregor series (1959)
  12. Cover of The Flockmasters by Nigel Tranter (1960)
  13. Cover of Nestor the Monster by Nigel Tranter (1960)
  14. Cover of Lord and Master by Nigel Tranter, book 1 of the Master Of Gray series (1961)
  15. Cover of Kettle of Fish by Nigel Tranter (1961)
  16. Cover of Gold for Prince Charlie by Nigel Tranter, book 3 of the MacGregor series (1962)
  17. Cover of Chain of Destiny by Nigel Tranter (1964)
  18. Cover of Past Master by Nigel Tranter, book 3 of the Master Of Gray series (1965)
  19. Cover of A Stake in the Kingdom by Nigel Tranter (1966)
  20. Cover of Lion Let Loose by Nigel Tranter (1967)
  21. Cover of Cable from Kabul by Nigel Tranter (1967)
  22. Cover of Black Douglas by Nigel Tranter (1968)
  23. Cover of To the Rescue! by Nigel Tranter (1968)
  24. Cover of The Fortified House In Scotland, Vol. V by Nigel Tranter (1970)
  1. 1
    The Fortalices and Early Mansions of Southern Scotland, 1400-16501935 · confirmed 2/4
    1935–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Trespass1937 · confirmed 2/4
    1937–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Mammon's Daughter1939 · confirmed 2/4
    1939–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Harsh Heritage1940 · 238 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1940238
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Eagle's Feathers1941 · confirmed 2/4
    1941–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Watershed1941 · confirmed 2/4
    1941–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    The Gilded Fleece1942 · 224 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1942224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Delayed Action1944 · confirmed 2/4
    1944–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Tinker's Pride1945 · 224 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1945224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Flight of Dutchmen1946 · confirmed 2/4
    1946–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Island Twilight1947 · 224 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1947224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Man's Estate1947 · confirmed 2/4
    1947–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Colours Flying1948 · confirmed 2/4
    1948–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Root and Branch1948 · confirmed 2/4
    1948–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    The Chosen Course1949 · confirmed 2/4
    1949–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Fair Game1950 · confirmed 2/4
    1950–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    The Freebooters1950 · 240 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1950240
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    High Spirits1950 · confirmed 2/4
    1950–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    Fast and Loose1951 · 242 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1951242
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Tidewrack1951 · confirmed 2/4
    1951–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Bridal Path1952 · 230 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1952230
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    Cheviot Chase1952 · confirmed 2/4
    1952–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    Ducks and Drakes1953 · confirmed 2/4
    1953–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    The Queen's Grace1953 · 256 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1953256
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    The Night Riders1954 · confirmed 2/4
    1954–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    Rum Week1954 · confirmed 2/4
    1954–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    Rio d'Oro1955 · 254 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1955254
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    There Are Worse Jungles1955 · confirmed 2/4
    1955–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    The Long Coffin1956 · 461 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1956461
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    MacGregor's GatheringMacGregor #11957 · 256 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1957256
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Nigel Tranter 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.

Fortified House In Scotland Non-Fiction

5 books

5 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.

Queen's Scotland Non-Fiction

4 books

4 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.

MacGregor in order

3 books
  1. 1. MacGregor's Gathering
  2. 2. The Clansman
  3. 3. Gold for Prince Charlie

Master Of Gray in order

3 books
  1. 1. Lord and Master
  2. 2. The Courtesan
  3. 3. Past Master

Robert The Bruce in order

3 books
  1. 1. The Steps to the Empty Throne
  2. 2. The Path of the Hero King
  3. 3. The Price of the King's Peace

House Of Stewart in order

3 books
  1. 1. Lords of Misrule
  2. 2. A Folly of Princes
  3. 3. The Captive Crown

James V in order

3 books
  1. 1. The Riven Realm
  2. 2. James, By the Grace of God
  3. 3. Rough Wooing

Montrose in order

2 books
  1. 1. The Young Montrose
  2. 2. Montrose, The Captain-General

Mary Stewart in order

2 books
  1. 1. Price of a Princess
  2. 2. Lord in Waiting

Standalone books

101 books

101 Nigel Tranter titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Nigel Tranter Books in Chronological Order

By publication date, the Nigel Tranter books run from The Fortalices and Early Mansions of Southern Scotland, 1400-1650 (1935) to More Tales and Traditions of Scottish Castles (2008), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Nigel Tranter in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.

Do you have to read Nigel Tranter books in order?

You only need to read Nigel Tranter books in order within each series: the books listed here span 7 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Nigel Tranter

Start with The Fortalices and Early Mansions of Southern Scotland, 1400-1650 (1935), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Nigel Tranter book?

More Tales and Traditions of Scottish Castles (2008) is the newest Nigel Tranter book released so far.

Is there a new Nigel Tranter book coming?

No next Nigel Tranter book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Nigel Tranter at a glance

Died
Nigel Tranter died in 2000, according to Wikidata.
After death
Books credited to Nigel Tranter are still being published after Nigel Tranter's death in 2000; the newest appeared in 2008.
Release pace
Nigel Tranter books have appeared more than one a year on average.
Length
27,283 pages across the 88 of 129 books with a recorded length, a median of 328 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Nigel Tranter books, 31 of 129, were published in the 1960s.

What the Nigel Tranter books are about

75 of the 129 Nigel Tranter books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: history is tagged on 26 of 75. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

  • History 26 of 75 books
  • Historical fiction 22 of 75 books
  • Scotland 11 of 75 books
  • Fiction in English 10 of 75 books
  • Travel 5 of 75 books
  • Scotland, description and travel 5 of 75 books
  • Castles 4 of 75 books
  • Guidebooks 4 of 75 books
  • Domestic Architecture 3 of 75 books
  • Fortification 3 of 75 books
  • Action & adventure 2 of 75 books