Brother Cadfael Books in Order
There are 23 Brother Cadfael books, published between 1977 and 1994. The first book is A Morbid Taste for Bones (1977) and the newest is Brother Cadfael's Penance (1994). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 23
- Published
- 1977–1994
- Confirmed
- 23 of 23 titles
- Pages on record
- 4,362 in 19 of 23 books
- Reading time
- 73–109 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 4,362 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 19 of 23 titles with a page count on record.
Brother Cadfael is a monk and herbalist at the centre of historical mysteries set in England. The Brother Cadfael books, grouped as the Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, run to 23, from A Morbid Taste for Bones (1977) to Brother Cadfael's Penance (1994), and the catalogue marks the run as likely complete. One Corpse Too Many (1979), Monk's Hood (1980) and The Virgin in the Ice (1982) are among the titles. The catalogue credits Edith Pargeter as author, with 3 books listed under the name Ellis Peters.
How many Brother Cadfael books are there?
Brother Cadfael has 23 books, released between 1977 and 1994.
Brother Cadfael Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 23 Brother Cadfael 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.
- 119771974/4
- 219792244/4
- 319802244/4
- 41981–4/4
- 519812234/4
- 619822084/4
- 719832124/4
- 819832764/4
- 919842754/4
- 1019842564/4
- 1119852244/4
- 1219862404/4
- 1319862404/4
- 141987–4/4
- 1519881964/4
- 1619881504/4
- 1719892564/4
- 1819892244/4
- 1919912454/4
- 2019922374/4
- 211993–3/4
- 221993–3/4
- 2319942554/4
Brother Cadfael Books in Chronological Order
By publication date, the Brother Cadfael books run from A Morbid Taste for Bones (1977) to Brother Cadfael's Penance (1994), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Brother Cadfael in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.
Do you have to read Brother Cadfael books in order?
You should read the Brother Cadfael books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Brother Cadfael book also stands alone.
Where to start with Brother Cadfael
Start with A Morbid Taste for Bones (1977), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Brother Cadfael book?
Brother Cadfael's Penance (1994) is the newest Brother Cadfael book released so far.
Is there a new Brother Cadfael book coming?
No next Brother Cadfael book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Brother Cadfael at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest Brother Cadfael title on record dates from 1994, 32 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
- Release pace
- Brother Cadfael books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 4,362 pages across the 19 of 23 books with a recorded length, a median of 224 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Brother Cadfael books, 16 of 23, were published in the 1980s.
- Corroboration
- 21 of the 23 titles appear in all four independent book listings, and every one of them in at least three.
- Attribution
- Of the 23 titles, 20 are credited to Edith Pargeter and 3 to Ellis Peters.
What the Brother Cadfael books are about
20 of the 23 Brother Cadfael books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: herbalists is tagged on 20 of 20. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Herbalists 20 of 20 books
- History 20 of 20 books
- Monks 18 of 20 books
- Mystery & detective 9 of 20 books
- Cadfael, brother (fictitious character) 7 of 20 books
- Historical fiction 5 of 20 books
- Catholics 2 of 20 books
- England 2 of 20 books
- Great Britain 2 of 20 books
- Great Britain in fiction 2 of 20 books
- Herbalists in fiction 2 of 20 books