Russell Shorto Books in Order
Russell Shorto has written 26 books, published between 1988 and 2025. The first book is Thomas Jefferson and the American Ideal (1988) and the newest is Taking Manhattan (2025). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 26
- Published
- 1988–2025
- Pages on record
- 3,800 in 22 of 26 books
- Reading time
- 63–95 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 3,800 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 22 of 26 titles with a page count on record.
Russell Anthony Shorto, born February 8, 1959, is an American author, historian and journalist. The Island at the Center of the World, Shorto's history of the Dutch origins of New York City, is the best-known book; the research drew on the New Netherland Project, now the New Netherland Research Center, and on the New Netherland Institute, where Shorto has been Senior Scholar since 2013. Revolution Song: A Story of American Freedom, published in November 2017, tells the American Revolution through six lives. The catalogue holds 26 books dated 1988 to 2025, including a run of juvenile biographies from 1988 to 1991 and, most recently, Taking Manhattan (2025).
How many Russell Shorto books are there?
Russell Shorto has 26 books, released between 1988 and 2025. 1 of them belong to the Russell Shorto Religion series.
Russell Shorto Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 26 Russell Shorto 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.
- 1Thomas Jefferson and the American Ideal1988 · 162 pages · confirmed 1/419881621/4
- 2J.R.R. Tolkien: Man of Fantasy1989 · 48 pages · confirmed 1/41989481/4
- 3Edgar Allan Poe: Creator of Dreams1989 · 48 pages · confirmed 1/41989481/4
- 4Geronimo and the Struggle for Apache Freedom1989 · 131 pages · confirmed 1/419891311/4
- 5Tecumseh and the Dream of an American Indian Nation1989 · 123 pages · confirmed 1/419891231/4
- 6Cinderella/Cinderella: The Untold Story1990 · 18 pages · confirmed 1/41990181/4
- 7David Farragut and the Great Naval BlockadeHistory of the Civil War #41991 · 128 pages · confirmed 1/419911281/4
- 8Abraham Lincoln and the End of Slavery1991 · 28 pages · confirmed 1/41991281/4
- 9Jane Fonda: Political Activism1991 · 101 pages · confirmed 1/419911011/4
- 10Jackie Robinson1991 · 32 pages · confirmed 1/41991321/4
- 1119911351/4
- 12How To Fly The Space Shuttle1992 · 45 pages · confirmed 1/41992451/4
- 13Careers for the Curious1992 · 64 pages · confirmed 1/41992641/4
- 14Careers for Foreign Language Experts1992 · confirmed 1/41992–1/4
- 15Careers for Hands-On Types1992 · 64 pages · confirmed 1/41992641/4
- 16Careers for Animal Lovers1992 · confirmed 1/41992–1/4
- 17Careers for People Who Like to Perform1992 · 64 pages · confirmed 1/41992641/4
- 18Careers for People Who Like People1992 · confirmed 1/41992–1/4
- 1919973051/4
- 20Saints and Madmen: How Pioneering Psychiatrists Are Creating a New Science of the Soul1999 · 272 pages · confirmed 1/419992721/4
- 21The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America2004 · 416 pages · confirmed 1/420044161/4
- 22Descartes' Bones: A Skeletal History of the Conflict Between Faith and Reason2008 · 320 pages · confirmed 1/420083201/4
- 23Amsterdam: A History of the World's Most Liberal City2013 · 368 pages · confirmed 1/420133681/4
- 24Revolution Song: The Story of America's Founding in Six Remarkable Lives2018 · 640 pages · confirmed 1/420186401/4
- 25Smalltime: A Story of My Family and the Mob2021 · 288 pages · confirmed 1/420212881/4
- 26Taking Manhattan2025 · confirmed 1/42025–1/4
Russell Shorto 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.
History of the Civil War in order
2 booksRussell Shorto Religion in order
1 book- 1. Gospel Truth
Standalone books
23 books23 Russell Shorto titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read Russell Shorto books in order?
You only need to read Russell Shorto books in order within the Russell Shorto Religion series, which holds 1 of the 26 Russell Shorto books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.
Where to start with Russell Shorto
Start with Thomas Jefferson and the American Ideal (1988), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Russell Shorto book?
Taking Manhattan (2025) is the newest Russell Shorto book released so far.
Is there a new Russell Shorto book coming?
No next Russell Shorto book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Russell Shorto at a glance
- Still publishing
- Russell Shorto published a book as recently as 2025.
- Release pace
- Russell Shorto books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 3,800 pages across the 22 of 26 books with a recorded length, a median of 126 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Russell Shorto books, 15 of 26, were published in the 1990s.
What the Russell Shorto books are about
22 of the 26 Russell Shorto books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: biography is tagged on 11 of 22. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Biography 11 of 22 books
- Juvenile literature 11 of 22 books
- History 3 of 22 books
- Presidents 3 of 22 books
- Vocational guidance 3 of 22 books
- Artisans 2 of 22 books
- Indians of North America 2 of 22 books
- Interviews 2 of 22 books
- Occupations 2 of 22 books
- Skilled labor 2 of 22 books
- United States Civil War, 1861-1865 2 of 22 books
- War 2 of 22 books