Order of Book Series
0

William Kotzwinkle Books in Order

William Kotzwinkle has written 49 books, published between 1969 and 2023. The first book is Elephant Bangs Train (1969) and the newest is Bloody Martini (2023). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
49
Published
1969–2023
Pages on record
4,022 in 29 of 49 books
Reading time
67–101 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 4,022 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 29 of 49 titles with a page count on record.

See all 49 books in order Printable William Kotzwinkle checklist

William Kotzwinkle is an American novelist, children's writer and screenwriter, born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Doctor Rat took the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1977, and Kotzwinkle also holds a National Magazine Award for fiction. He wrote the novelisation of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and the E.T. books sit in a catalogue of 49 titles running from Elephant Bangs Train (1969) to Bloody Martini (2023). Walter the Farting Dog, Inspector Mantis Mysteries and Felonious Monk Mystery are the other named series. Kotzwinkle has been married to the author Elizabeth Gundy since 1970.

How many William Kotzwinkle books are there?

William Kotzwinkle has 49 books, released between 1969 and 2023. They include 4 series and 37 titles listed outside any series.

William Kotzwinkle Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 49 William Kotzwinkle 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 Elephant Bangs Train by William Kotzwinkle (1969)
  2. Cover of The Ship That Came Down the Gutter by William Kotzwinkle (1970)
  3. Cover of The Day the Gang Got Rich by William Kotzwinkle (1970)
  4. Cover of The Oldest Man And Other Timeless Stories by William Kotzwinkle (1971)
  5. Cover of The Return of Crazy Horse by William Kotzwinkle (1971)
  6. Cover of Hermes 3000 by William Kotzwinkle (1972)
  7. Cover of The Supreme, Superb, Exalted and Delightful, One and Only Magic Building by William Kotzwinkle (1973)
  8. Cover of Up The Alley with Jack and Joe by William Kotzwinkle (1974)
  9. Cover of The Leopard's Tooth by William Kotzwinkle (1976)
  10. Cover of Fata Morgana by William Kotzwinkle (1977)
  11. Cover of The Ants Who Took Away Time by William Kotzwinkle (1978)
  12. Cover of E. T. The Extra Terrestrial Storybook by William Kotzwinkle, book 2 of the E.T. series (1982)
  13. Cover of Christmas at Fontaine's by William Kotzwinkle (1982)
  14. Cover of Queen of Swords by William Kotzwinkle (1983)
  15. Cover of Great World Circus by William Kotzwinkle (1983)
  16. Cover of Superman III by William Kotzwinkle (1983)
  17. Cover of E.T.: The Book of the Green Planet by William Kotzwinkle, book 3 of the E.T. series (1985)
  18. Cover of Jewel of the Moon by William Kotzwinkle (1985)
  19. Cover of Seduction in Berlin by William Kotzwinkle (1985)
  20. Cover of The World Is Big and I'm So Small by William Kotzwinkle (1986)
  21. Cover of The Hot Jazz Trio by William Kotzwinkle (1989)
  22. Cover of The Game of Thirty by William Kotzwinkle (1994)
  23. Cover of Tales from the Empty Notebook / The Empty Notebook by William Kotzwinkle (1995)
  24. Cover of The Million-Dollar Bear by William Kotzwinkle (1995)
  1. 1
    Elephant Bangs Train1969 · 148 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1969148
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    The Firemen1969 · confirmed 1/4
    1969–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    The Ship That Came Down the Gutter1970 · 23 pages · confirmed 1/4
    197023
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Elephant Boy: A Story of the Stone Age1970 · confirmed 1/4
    1970–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    The Day the Gang Got Rich1970 · 29 pages · confirmed 1/4
    197029
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    The Oldest Man And Other Timeless Stories1971 · 66 pages · confirmed 1/4
    197166
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    The Return of Crazy Horse1971 · 39 pages · confirmed 1/4
    197139
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Hermes 30001972 · 180 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1972180
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    The Supreme, Superb, Exalted and Delightful, One and Only Magic Building1973 · 40 pages · confirmed 1/4
    197340
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    The Fan Man1974 · confirmed 1/4
    1974–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Nightbook1974 · confirmed 1/4
    1974–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Up The Alley with Jack and Joe1974 · 62 pages · confirmed 1/4
    197462
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Swimmer in the Secret Sea1975 · 85 pages · confirmed 1/4
    197585
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Doctor Rat1976 · 198 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1976198
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    The Leopard's Tooth1976 · 96 pages · confirmed 1/4
    197696
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Fata Morgana1977 · 209 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1977209
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Herr Nightingale and the Satin Woman1978 · confirmed 1/4
    1978–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    The Ants Who Took Away Time1978 · 64 pages · confirmed 1/4
    197864
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    Dream of Dark Harbor1979 · 46 pages · confirmed 1/4
    197946
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    The Nap Master1979 · confirmed 1/4
    1979–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Jack in the Box / Book of Love1980 · 273 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1980273
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    E.T. The Extra-TerrestrialE.T. #11982 · confirmed 1/4
    1982–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    E. T. The Extra Terrestrial StorybookE.T. #21982 · confirmed 1/4
    1982–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    Christmas at Fontaine's1982 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1982192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    Queen of Swords1983 · 175 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1983175
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    Great World Circus1983 · 158 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1983158
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    Superman III1983 · 221 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1983221
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    E.T.: The Book of the Green PlanetE.T. #31985 · 269 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1985269
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    Jewel of the Moon1985 · 160 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1985160
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    Seduction in Berlin1985 · 123 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1985123
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

William Kotzwinkle 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.

Walter the Farting Dog in order

5 books
  1. 1. Walter the Farting Dog
  2. 2. Trouble at the Yard Sale / Walter the Farting Dog Farts Again / Trouble at the Garage Sale
  3. 3. Rough Weather Ahead for Walter the Farting Dog / Walter the Farting Dog and the Windy Day
  4. 4. Walter the Farting Dog Goes on a Cruise
  5. 5. Banned From the Beach

E.T. in order

3 books
  1. 1. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
  2. 2. E. T. The Extra Terrestrial Storybook
  3. 3. E.T.: The Book of the Green Planet

Inspector Mantis Mysteries in order

2 books
  1. 1. Trouble in Bugland
  2. 2. Double Trouble in Bugland

Felonious Monk Mystery in order

2 books
  1. 1. Felonious Monk
  2. 2. Bloody Martini

Standalone books

37 books

37 William Kotzwinkle titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read William Kotzwinkle books in order?

You only need to read William Kotzwinkle books in order within each series: the books listed here span 4 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with William Kotzwinkle

Start with Elephant Bangs Train (1969), the earliest published title.

What is the newest William Kotzwinkle book?

Bloody Martini (2023) is the newest William Kotzwinkle book released so far.

Is there a new William Kotzwinkle book coming?

No next William Kotzwinkle 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 Kotzwinkle has won

Wikidata records 2 awards and 1 nomination for William Kotzwinkle. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

William Kotzwinkle at a glance

Paused
No new William Kotzwinkle title has appeared for 3 years. The last was published in 2023.
Release pace
William Kotzwinkle books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
4,022 pages across the 29 of 49 books with a recorded length, a median of 153 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most William Kotzwinkle books, 18 of 49, were published in the 1970s.

What the William Kotzwinkle books are about

37 of the 49 William Kotzwinkle books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: children's fiction is tagged on 7 of 37. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.