Order of Book Series
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William F. Buckley, Jr. Books in Order

55 books are credited to William F. Buckley, Jr., published between 1951 and 2016; 4 of them appeared after William F. Buckley, Jr.'s death in 2008. The first book is God and Man at Yale (1951) and the newest is A Torch Kept Lit (2016). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
55
Published
1951–2016
Pages on record
15,173 in 49 of 55 books
Reading time
253–379 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 15,173 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 49 of 55 titles with a page count on record.

See all 55 books in order Printable William F. Buckley, Jr. checklist
Photo of William F. Buckley, Jr., author of the Blackford Oakes series

William F. Buckley, Jr. (1925-2008) was an American conservative writer, commentator and novelist. God and Man at Yale (1951) opens the catalogue, a year after Buckley graduated from Yale with honours; two years at the Central Intelligence Agency followed. Espionage and the Central Intelligence Agency sit among the recorded subjects, carried by the Blackford Oakes novels, the one recorded series. Politics, conservatism and journalism fill the rest. 55 titles are catalogued through to A Torch Kept Lit (2016), averaging 295 pages.

How many William F. Buckley, Jr. books are there?

William F. Buckley, Jr. has 55 books, released between 1951 and 2016. 4 of them were published after William F. Buckley, Jr.'s death in 2008. 12 of them belong to the Blackford Oakes series.

William F. Buckley, Jr. Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 55 William F. Buckley, Jr. 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 God and Man at Yale by William F. Buckley, Jr. (1951)
  2. Cover of McCarthy and His Enemies by William F. Buckley, Jr. (1954)
  3. Cover of Up from Liberalism by William F. Buckley, Jr. (1959)
  4. Cover of The Unmaking of a Mayor by William F. Buckley, Jr. (1966)
  5. Cover of Airborne by William F. Buckley, Jr. (1970)
  6. Cover of Inveighing We Will Go by William F. Buckley, Jr. (1972)
  7. Cover of Four Reforms--A Guide for the Seventies by William F. Buckley, Jr. (1973)
  8. Cover of Saving the Queen by William F. Buckley, Jr., book 1 of the Blackford Oakes series (1976)
  9. Cover of Essays on Hayek by William F. Buckley, Jr. (1976)
  10. Cover of Stained Glass by William F. Buckley, Jr., book 2 of the Blackford Oakes series (1978)
  11. Cover of Who's on First by William F. Buckley, Jr., book 3 of the Blackford Oakes series (1980)
  12. Cover of Marco Polo, If You Can by William F. Buckley, Jr., book 4 of the Blackford Oakes series (1981)
  13. Cover of Atlantic High by William F. Buckley, Jr. (1982)
  14. Cover of The Story of Henri Tod by William F. Buckley, Jr., book 5 of the Blackford Oakes series (1983)
  15. Cover of Overdrive by William F. Buckley, Jr. (1983)
  16. Cover of See You Later Alligator by William F. Buckley, Jr., book 6 of the Blackford Oakes series (1985)
  17. Cover of Right Reason by William F. Buckley, Jr. (1985)
  18. Cover of High Jinx by William F. Buckley, Jr., book 7 of the Blackford Oakes series (1986)
  19. Cover of Tall Ships by William F. Buckley, Jr. (1986)
  20. Cover of Mongoose, R.I.P. by William F. Buckley, Jr., book 8 of the Blackford Oakes series (1987)
  21. Cover of Racing Through Paradise by William F. Buckley, Jr. (1987)
  22. Cover of Keeping the Tablets by William F. Buckley, Jr. (1988)
  23. Cover of On the Firing Line by William F. Buckley, Jr. (1989)
  24. Cover of Tucker's Last Stand by William F. Buckley, Jr., book 9 of the Blackford Oakes series (1990)
  1. 1
    God and Man at Yale1951 · 240 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1951240
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    McCarthy and His Enemies1954 · 425 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1954425
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Up from Liberalism1959 · 234 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1959234
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The Unmaking of a Mayor1966 · 341 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1966341
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Airborne1970 · 252 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1970252
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    The governor listeth;1970 · confirmed 2/4
    1970–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Did You Ever See A Dream Walking1970 · confirmed 2/4
    1970–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Cruising Speed--A Documentary1971 · confirmed 2/4
    1971–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Inveighing We Will Go1972 · 410 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1972410
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Four Reforms--A Guide for the Seventies1973 · 128 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1973128
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Saving the QueenBlackford Oakes #11976 · 286 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1976286
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Essays on Hayek1976 · 182 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1976182
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Stained GlassBlackford Oakes #21978 · 273 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1978273
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Who's on FirstBlackford Oakes #31980 · 259 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1980259
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Marco Polo, If You CanBlackford Oakes #41981 · 267 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1981267
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Atlantic High1982 · 261 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1982261
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    The Story of Henri TodBlackford Oakes #51983 · 267 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1983267
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    Overdrive1983 · 262 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1983262
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    See You Later AlligatorBlackford Oakes #61985 · 224 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1985224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Right Reason1985 · 454 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1985454
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    High JinxBlackford Oakes #71986 · 250 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1986250
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    Tall Ships1986 · 127 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1986127
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    Mongoose, R.I.P.Blackford Oakes #81987 · 373 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1987373
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    Racing Through Paradise1987 · 16 pages · confirmed 2/4
    198716
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    Keeping the Tablets1988 · 469 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1988469
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    On the Firing Line1989 · 533 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1989533
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    Tucker's Last StandBlackford Oakes #91990 · 313 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1990313
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    Gratitude1990 · 169 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1990169
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    In Search of Anti-Semitism1992 · 207 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1992207
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    A Very Private PlotBlackford Oakes #101993 · 232 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1993232
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

William F. Buckley, Jr. series in order

The series linked below has its own reading-order page.

William F. Buckley, Jr. 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

43 books

43 William F. Buckley, Jr. titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read William F. Buckley, Jr. books in order?

You only need to read William F. Buckley, Jr. books in order within the Blackford Oakes series, which holds 12 of the 55 William F. Buckley, Jr. books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.

Where to start with William F. Buckley, Jr.

Start with Saving the Queen (1976), the first Blackford Oakes book. The earliest catalogued title overall is God and Man at Yale (1951).

What is the newest William F. Buckley, Jr. book?

A Torch Kept Lit (2016) is the newest William F. Buckley, Jr. book released so far.

Is there a new William F. Buckley, Jr. book coming?

No next William F. Buckley, Jr. 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 William F. Buckley, Jr. has won

Wikidata records 1 award for William F. Buckley, Jr.. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • National Book Award1980Won

William F. Buckley, Jr. at a glance

Died
William F. Buckley, Jr. died in 2008, according to Wikidata.
After death
Books credited to William F. Buckley, Jr. are still being published after William F. Buckley, Jr.'s death in 2008; the newest appeared in 2016.
Release pace
William F. Buckley, Jr. books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
15,173 pages across the 49 of 55 books with a recorded length, a median of 295 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most William F. Buckley, Jr. books, 14 of 55, were published in the 2000s.

What the William F. Buckley, Jr. books are about

50 of the 55 William F. Buckley, Jr. books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: blackford oakes (fictitious character) is tagged on 10 of 50. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.