Sam Kean Books in Order
Sam Kean has written 11 books, published between 2010 and 2026. The first book is The Disappearing Spoon (2010) and the newest is The Museum of Lost Things (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 11
- Published
- 2010–2026
- Confirmed
- 1 of 11 titles
- Pages on record
- 2,435 in 6 of 11 books
- Reading time
- 41–61 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 2,435 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 6 of 11 titles with a page count on record.
Sam Kean is an American science writer born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and based in Washington, D.C. Kean has written for The New York Times Magazine, Mental Floss, Slate, Psychology Today and The New Scientist, and the books recount scientific discoveries in narrative form. Chemistry, the chemical elements and the history of science appear among the subjects. The Disappearing Spoon (2010) opens the catalogue, followed by The Violinist's Thumb (2012), Caesar's Last Breath (2017), The Icepick Surgeon (2021) and The Museum of Lost Things (2026).
How many Sam Kean books are there?
Sam Kean has 11 books, released between 2010 and 2026.
Sam Kean Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 11 Sam Kean 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.
- 1The Disappearing Spoon2010 · 391 pages · confirmed 1/420103911/4
- 2The Violinist's Thumb2012 · 432 pages · confirmed 1/420124321/4
- 3The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons2014 · 407 pages · confirmed 1/420144071/4
- 4Caesar's Last Breath2017 · 373 pages · confirmed 1/420173731/4
- 5The Disappearing Spoon: Young Listeners Edition2018 · confirmed 1/42018–1/4
- 6The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2018Best American Science and Nature Writing #92018 · confirmed 3/42018–3/4
- 7The Bastard Brigade2019 · 464 pages · confirmed 1/420194641/4
- 9The Icepick Surgeon2021 · 368 pages · confirmed 1/420213681/4
- 10Dinner with King Tut2025 · confirmed 1/42025–1/4
- 11The Museum of Lost Things2026 · confirmed 1/42026–1/4
Sam Kean 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.
Best American Science and Nature Writing in order
1 bookStandalone books
10 books10 Sam Kean titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read Sam Kean books in order?
No. No source lists any of the 11 Sam Kean books here as part of a series. The numbered table above gives them by publication date.
Where to start with Sam Kean
Start with The Disappearing Spoon (2010), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Sam Kean book?
The Museum of Lost Things (2026) is the newest Sam Kean book released so far.
Is there a new Sam Kean book coming?
No next Sam Kean book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Sam Kean at a glance
- Still publishing
- Sam Kean published a book as recently as 2026.
- Release pace
- Sam Kean books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 2,435 pages across the 6 of 11 books with a recorded length, a median of 399 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Sam Kean books, 7 of 11, were published in the 2010s.
What the Sam Kean books are about
6 of the 11 Sam Kean 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 3 of 6. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- History 3 of 6 books
- Chemistry 2 of 6 books
- Miscellanea 2 of 6 books
- Popular works 2 of 6 books
- Science 2 of 6 books
- SCIENCE / History 2 of 6 books