Thorne Smith Books in Order
19 books are credited to Thorne Smith, published between 1918 and 2020; 5 of them appeared after Thorne Smith's death in 1934. The first book is Biltmore Oswald (1918) and the newest is The Bishop’s Jaegers (2020). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 19
- Published
- 1918–2020
- Pages on record
- 1,706 in 7 of 19 books
Thorne Smith was the byline of James Thorne Smith Jr., an American writer born March 27, 1892, who died June 20, 1934. Smith wrote humorous supernatural fantasy, and the two Topper novels, comic stories of ghosts, drinking and sex, are the books Smith is best known for today. With racy illustrations, those novels sold millions of copies in the 1930s and did well again as 1950s paperbacks. The catalogue lists 19 books, from Biltmore Oswald (1918) through Topper (1926), The Stray Lamb (1929) and The Night Life of the Gods (1931). Topper and Biltmore Oswald are listed as series.
How many Thorne Smith books are there?
Thorne Smith has 19 books, released between 1918 and 2020. 5 of them were published after Thorne Smith's death in 1934. They include 2 series and 14 titles listed outside any series.
Thorne Smith Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 19 Thorne Smith 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.
- 11918–2/4
- 21919–2/4
- 31926–2/4
- 419261922/4
- 5Dream's End1927 · confirmed 2/41927–2/4
- 6The Stray Lamb1929 · 224 pages · confirmed 2/419292242/4
- 7Did She Fall?1930 · 326 pages · confirmed 2/419303262/4
- 8Lazy Bear Lane1931 · confirmed 2/41931–2/4
- 9The Night Life of the Gods1931 · 208 pages · confirmed 2/419312082/4
- 10Turnabout1931 · confirmed 2/41931–2/4
- 1119322402/4
- 12Rain in the Doorway1933 · 256 pages · confirmed 2/419332562/4
- 13Skin and Bones1933 · confirmed 2/41933–2/4
- 14The Glorious Pool1934 · confirmed 2/41934–2/4
- 15The Passionate Witch1941 · 260 pages · confirmed 2/419412602/4
- 16A Smokey Lady in Knickers2011 · confirmed 2/42011–2/4
- 17Haunts and By-Paths, and Other Poems2011 · confirmed 2/42011–2/4
- 18Yonder's Henry2015 · confirmed 2/42015–2/4
- 19The Bishop’s Jaegers2020 · confirmed 2/42020–2/4
Thorne Smith 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.
Topper in order
3 booksBiltmore Oswald in order
2 booksStandalone books
14 books14 Thorne Smith titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read Thorne Smith books in order?
You only need to read Thorne Smith books in order within each series: the books listed here span 2 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.
Where to start with Thorne Smith
Start with Biltmore Oswald (1918), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Thorne Smith book?
The Bishop’s Jaegers (2020) is the newest Thorne Smith book released so far.
Is there a new Thorne Smith book coming?
No next Thorne Smith book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Thorne Smith at a glance
- Died
- Thorne Smith died in 1934, according to Wikidata.
- After death
- Books credited to Thorne Smith are still being published after Thorne Smith's death in 1934; the newest appeared in 2020.
- Release pace
- Thorne Smith books have appeared about one every 6 years on average.
- Length
- 1,706 pages across the 7 of 19 books with a recorded length, a median of 240 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Thorne Smith books, 8 of 19, were published in the 1930s.
What the Thorne Smith books are about
8 of the 19 Thorne Smith books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: science fiction is tagged on 4 of 8. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Science fiction 4 of 8 books
- Humor 3 of 8 books