Raymond Carver Books in Order
34 books are credited to Raymond Carver, published between 1968 and 2009; 10 of them appeared after Raymond Carver's death in 1988. The first book is Near Klamath (1968) and the newest is Beginners (2009). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 34
- Published
- 1968–2009
- Pages on record
- 4,890 in 21 of 34 books
- Reading time
- 82–122 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 4,890 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 21 of 34 titles with a page count on record.
Raymond Carver (1938-1988) wrote short stories and poetry. The first collection, Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?, appeared in 1976; What We Talk About When We Talk About Love (1981) made his name; and Cathedral (1983) was the book Carver himself treated as a watershed. Where I'm Calling From, described as the definitive gathering of the stories, came out shortly before his death. This catalogue lists 34 titles from Near Klamath (1968) to Beginners (2009), at a median of 192 pages, with the 1980s the heaviest decade.
How many Raymond Carver books are there?
Raymond Carver has 34 books, released between 1968 and 2009. 10 of them were published after Raymond Carver's death in 1988.
Raymond Carver Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 34 Raymond Carver 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.
- 1Near Klamath1968 · confirmed 1/41968–1/4
- 2Where I'm Calling From1969 · 526 pages · confirmed 1/419695261/4
- 3Winter Insomnia1970 · confirmed 1/41970–1/4
- 4Put Yourself In My Shoes1974 · 36 pages · confirmed 1/41974361/4
- 5Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?1976 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/419761921/4
- 6Furious Seasons and Other Stories1976 · 63 pages · confirmed 1/41976631/4
- 7At Night the Salmon Move1976 · 44 pages · confirmed 1/41976441/4
- 8Furious Seasons1976 · confirmed 1/41976–1/4
- 9Fires1977 · 204 pages · confirmed 1/419772041/4
- 10What We Talk About When We Talk About Love1981 · 159 pages · confirmed 1/419811591/4
- 11The Pheasant1982 · confirmed 1/41982–1/4
- 12Cathedral1983 · 227 pages · confirmed 1/419832271/4
- 13If It Please You1984 · 25 pages · confirmed 1/41984251/4
- 14Where Water Comes Together with Other Water1984 · 130 pages · confirmed 1/419841301/4
- 15The Stories of Raymond Carver1985 · 447 pages · confirmed 1/419854471/4
- 16Collected Stories1985 · 1019 pages · confirmed 1/4198510191/4
- 17Ultramarine1986 · 140 pages · confirmed 1/419861401/4
- 18Early for the Dance1986 · confirmed 1/41986–1/4
- 19Dostoevsky1987 · confirmed 1/41987–1/4
- 20Portraits1987 · 59 pages · confirmed 1/41987591/4
- 21Those Days1987 · confirmed 1/41987–1/4
- 22In a Marine Light1987 · 208 pages · confirmed 1/419872081/4
- 23All of Us1988 · 416 pages · confirmed 1/419884161/4
- 24Elephant and Other Stories1988 · 128 pages · confirmed 1/419881281/4
- 25A New Path to the Waterfall1989 · confirmed 1/41989–1/4
- 26Carver Country - The World Of Raymond Carver1990 · confirmed 1/41990–1/4
- 27Three Stories1990 · confirmed 1/41990–1/4
- 28Short Cuts1990 · 160 pages · confirmed 1/419901601/4
- 29Carnations1992 · confirmed 1/41992–1/4
- 30No Heroics, Please1992 · 239 pages · confirmed 1/419922391/4
- 31My Father's Life1995 · confirmed 1/41995–1/4
- 32Call If You Need Me2000 · 256 pages · confirmed 1/420002561/4
- 33Adam Bartos: Yard Sale Photographs2009 · confirmed 1/42009–1/4
- 34Beginners2009 · 212 pages · confirmed 1/420092121/4
Raymond Carver 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.
Standalone books
34 books34 Raymond Carver titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read Raymond Carver books in order?
No. No source lists any of the 34 Raymond Carver books here as part of a series. The numbered table above gives them by publication date.
Where to start with Raymond Carver
Start with Near Klamath (1968), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Raymond Carver book?
Beginners (2009) is the newest Raymond Carver book released so far.
Is there a new Raymond Carver book coming?
No next Raymond Carver 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 Raymond Carver has won
Wikidata records 1 award for Raymond Carver. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- O. Henry Award1983Won
Raymond Carver at a glance
- Died
- Raymond Carver died in 1988, according to Wikidata.
- After death
- Books credited to Raymond Carver are still being published after Raymond Carver's death in 1988; the newest appeared in 2009.
- Release pace
- Raymond Carver books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 4,890 pages across the 21 of 34 books with a recorded length, a median of 192 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Raymond Carver books, 16 of 34, were published in the 1980s.
What the Raymond Carver books are about
20 of the 34 Raymond Carver books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: short stories is tagged on 7 of 20. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Short stories 7 of 20 books
- American literature 4 of 20 books
- Poetry 3 of 20 books
- Manners and customs 3 of 20 books