Dune Books in Order

How many Dune books are there?

Dune has 40 books, released between 1963 and 2024. 36 of them belong to the 2 main-line series (Dune, Legends Of Dune), and 4 related titles sit outside it: graphic novels and short stories and novellas.

Dune Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 40 Dune books in the order they were released, 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.

Dune Books in Chronological Order

In story order, The Butlerian Jihad comes first and The Battles of Dune comes last. Chronological order follows the events inside the story rather than the release dates. The 28 books with a recorded story position run in that sequence below.

Do you have to read Dune books in order?

You should read the 2 main-line series in publication order, the order of the numbered table above; the 4 related titles (graphic novels and short stories and novellas) sit outside that sequence. The catalogue does not record whether each Dune book also stands alone.

What order should you read Dune books in?

Read them in publication order, starting with Dune (1965), the earliest published book in the 2 main-line series. In the chronological order, The Butlerian Jihad comes first.

When did the first Dune book come out?

Dune, the first main-line Dune book, was published in 1965. The newest main-line book, Princess of Dune (2023), came out 58 years later.

What is the newest Dune book?

Princess of Dune (2023) is the newest book in the 2 main-line series. The newest related title is The Prophet (2024).

Is there a new Dune book coming?

No next Dune 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 Dune has won

Wikidata records 4 awards and 6 nominations for Dune. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

• Cosmos 2000 Award1986Wonfor Heretics of Dune
• Seiun Award for Best Translated Long Work1974Wonfor Dune
• Nebula Award for Best Novel1966Wonfor Dune
• Hugo Award for Best Novel1966Wonfor Dune
• Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel1986Shortlistedfor Chapterhouse: Dune
• Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel1985Shortlistedfor Heretics of Dune
• Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel1982Shortlistedfor God Emperor of Dune
• Hugo Award for Best Novel1977Shortlistedfor Children of Dune
• Locus Award for Best Novel1977Shortlistedfor Children of Dune
• Hugo Award for Best Novel1964Shortlistedfor Dune World

Dune at a glance

Paused

No new main-line Dune title has appeared for 3 years. The last was Princess of Dune (2023).

Release pace

Dune books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.

Length

11,340 pages across the 24 of 40 books with a recorded length, a median of 446 pages each.

Busiest decade

Most Dune books, 14 of 40, were published in the 2000s.

Corroboration

2 of the 40 titles appear in all four independent book listings, and every one of them in at least three.

Attribution

Of the 40 titles, 28 are credited to Brian Herbert, 11 to Frank Herbert, 6 to Kevin J. Anderson and 1 to Willis E. McNelly. One title carries no credit.

What the Dune books are about

26 of the 40 Dune books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: science fiction is tagged on 20 of 26. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

• Science fiction 20 of 26 books
• Life on other planets 8 of 26 books
• Science fiction, action & adventure 7 of 26 books
• Space opera 6 of 26 books
• American literature 5 of 26 books
• Robots 5 of 26 books
• Comics & graphic novels 3 of 26 books
• Fantasy, epic 3 of 26 books
• Feudalism 3 of 26 books
• Nobility 3 of 26 books