William McIlvanney Books in Order
William McIlvanney has written 16 books, published between 1966 and 2014. The first book is Remedy is None (1966) and the newest is Dreaming Scotland (2014). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 16
- Published
- 1966–2014
- Confirmed
- 2 of 16 titles
- Pages on record
- 2,916 in 13 of 16 books
- Reading time
- 49–73 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 2,916 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 13 of 16 titles with a page count on record.
William McIlvanney (25 November 1936 - 5 December 2015) was a Scottish novelist, poet and short story writer, known to friends as Gus. McIlvanney is called the father of Tartan Noir, and Laidlaw, The Papers of Tony Veitch and Walking Wounded depict Glasgow in the 1970s. The fictional Jack Laidlaw and police procedurals appear in the subjects. The 16 catalogued books run from Remedy is None (1966) to Dreaming Scotland (2014), and Docherty (1975) and The Big Man (1985) are among them.
How many William McIlvanney books are there?
William McIlvanney has 16 books, released between 1966 and 2014.
William McIlvanney Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 16 William McIlvanney 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.
- 1Remedy is None1966 · 244 pages · confirmed 2/419662442/4
- 2A Gift From Nessus1968 · 224 pages · confirmed 2/419682242/4
- 31970622/4
- 41973–2/4
- 5Docherty1975 · 324 pages · confirmed 2/419753242/4
- 619773043/4
- 71983–3/4
- 81984952/4
- 9The Big Man1985 · 256 pages · confirmed 2/419852562/4
- 10In Through the Head1988 · 192 pages · confirmed 2/419881922/4
- 1119891762/4
- 1219912562/4
- 13Shades of Grey1993 · 223 pages · confirmed 2/419932232/4
- 14The Kiln1996 · 288 pages · confirmed 2/419962882/4
- 15Weekend2006 · 272 pages · confirmed 2/420062722/4
- 162014–2/4
William McIlvanney 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.
Poems/Short Story
5 books5 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Jack Laidlaw in order
2 booksSaltire in order
1 bookStandalone books
8 books8 William McIlvanney titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read William McIlvanney books in order?
No. No source lists any of the 16 William McIlvanney books here as part of a series. The numbered table above gives them by publication date.
Where to start with William McIlvanney
Start with Remedy is None (1966), the earliest published title.
What is the newest William McIlvanney book?
Dreaming Scotland (2014) is the newest William McIlvanney book released so far.
Is there a new William McIlvanney book coming?
No next William McIlvanney 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 McIlvanney has won
Wikidata records 1 award for William McIlvanney. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize1967Won
William McIlvanney at a glance
- Died
- William McIlvanney died in 2015, according to Wikidata.
- Last book
- The newest book credited to William McIlvanney on record dates from 2014.
- Release pace
- William McIlvanney books have appeared about one every 3 years on average.
- Length
- 2,916 pages across the 13 of 16 books with a recorded length, a median of 244 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most William McIlvanney books, 5 of 16, were published in the 1980s.
What the William McIlvanney books are about
12 of the 16 William McIlvanney books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: english literature is tagged on 2 of 12. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.