William Goldman Books in Order
William Goldman has written 29 books, published between 1957 and 2018. The first book is The Temple of Gold (1957) and the newest is Passing the Torch (2018). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 29
- Published
- 1957–2018
- Pages on record
- 7,086 in 23 of 29 books
- Reading time
- 118–177 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 7,086 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 23 of 29 titles with a page count on record.
William Goldman (1931-2018) was an American novelist, screenwriter and playwright whose career ran across seven decades and produced 16 novels and numerous screenplays. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) took him the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay along with BAFTA and Golden Globe awards, and All the President's Men (1976) the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The 29 catalogued titles open with The Temple of Gold (1957) and include Boys and Girls Together (1964), The Princess Bride (1973) and Marathon Man (1974).
How many William Goldman books are there?
William Goldman has 29 books, released between 1957 and 2018. They include 2 series and 24 titles listed outside any series.
William Goldman Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 29 William Goldman 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 Temple of Gold1957 · 205 pages · confirmed 1/419572051/4
- 2Soldier in the Rain1961 · 256 pages · confirmed 1/419612561/4
- 3Boys and Girls Together1964 · 751 pages · confirmed 1/419647511/4
- 4Your Turn to Curtsy, My Turn to Bow1966 · confirmed 1/41966–1/4
- 5The Thing of It Is1967 · confirmed 1/41967–1/4
- 6Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid1968 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/419681921/4
- 7The Season1969 · 432 pages · confirmed 1/419694321/4
- 8Father's Day1970 · 215 pages · confirmed 1/419702151/4
- 9The Princess Bride1973 · 429 pages · confirmed 1/419734291/4
- 1019742361/4
- 11Wigger1974 · 77 pages · confirmed 1/41974771/4
- 12Magic1976 · 251 pages · confirmed 1/419762511/4
- 13Story Of A Bridge Too Far1977 · 250 pages · confirmed 1/419772501/4
- 14Tinsel1979 · confirmed 1/41979–1/4
- 15Control1982 · 305 pages · confirmed 1/419823051/4
- 16Adventures in the Screen Trade1983 · 594 pages · confirmed 1/419835941/4
- 17The Silent Gondoliers1983 · 128 pages · confirmed 1/419831281/4
- 18The Colour of Light1984 · 393 pages · confirmed 1/419843931/4
- 19Edged Weapons / Heat1985 · 214 pages · confirmed 1/419852141/4
- 2019863191/4
- 21No Way to Treat a Lady1989 · confirmed 1/41989–1/4
- 22Hype and Glory1990 · 306 pages · confirmed 1/419903061/4
- 23William Goldman: Four Screenplays with Essays1997 · confirmed 1/41997–1/4
- 2420001601/4
- 2520001741/4
- 26The Big Picture2000 · 489 pages · confirmed 1/420004891/4
- 27Which Lie Did I Tell?2000 · 512 pages · confirmed 1/420005121/4
- 282003–1/4
- 29Passing the Torch2018 · 198 pages · confirmed 1/420181981/4
William Goldman 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.
Screenplay in order
3 booksBabe Levy in order
2 books- 1. Marathon Man
- 2. Brothers
Standalone books
24 books24 William Goldman titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read William Goldman books in order?
You only need to read William Goldman 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 William Goldman
Start with The Temple of Gold (1957), the earliest published title.
What is the newest William Goldman book?
Passing the Torch (2018) is the newest William Goldman book released so far.
Is there a new William Goldman book coming?
No next William Goldman 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 Goldman has won
Wikidata records 2 awards and 1 nomination for William Goldman. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation1988Wonfor The Princess Bride
- Edgar Awards1967Won
- Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel1984Shortlistedfor The Silent Gondoliers
William Goldman at a glance
- Died
- William Goldman died in 2018, according to Wikidata.
- Last book
- The newest book credited to William Goldman on record dates from 2018.
- Release pace
- William Goldman books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 7,086 pages across the 23 of 29 books with a recorded length, a median of 251 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most William Goldman books, 7 of 29, were published in the 1980s.
What the William Goldman books are about
22 of the 29 William Goldman books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: motion picture plays is tagged on 5 of 22. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Motion picture plays 5 of 22 books
- Fiction in English 3 of 22 books
- Motion picture industry 3 of 22 books
- Fantasy 2 of 22 books
- History 2 of 22 books
- Motion picture authorship 2 of 22 books