The Walking Dead Books in Order
There are 52 The Walking Dead books, published between 2004 and 2019: 17 in the Walking Dead series and 35 related titles. The first book is The Covers Volume 1 (2008) and the newest main-line book is Typhoon (2019). Publication order is the reading order below.
Also searched as Walking Dead.
- Books
- 52
- Published
- 2004–2019
- Pages on record
- 6,749 in 41 of 52 books
- Reading time
- 112–169 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 6,749 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 41 of 52 titles with a page count on record.
The Walking Dead is a horror comic series about survival among zombies, filed under Robert Kirkman with 52 books from 2004 to 2019. Days Gone Bye and Miles Behind Us (both 2004) open the list, followed by Safety Behind Bars and The Heart's Desire (2005). This Sorrowful Life (2007) and Made to Suffer (2008) come later, alongside Compendium One (2009). Rest in Peace (2019) is the newest title, and the run is listed as likely complete. Walking Dead Graphic Novels and a Survivors' Guide line appear as series. Epidemics, dystopias and survivalism are among the subject tags.
How many The Walking Dead books are there?
The Walking Dead has 52 books, released between 2004 and 2019. 17 of them belong to the Walking Dead series, and 35 related titles sit outside it: graphic novels.
The Walking Dead Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 52 The Walking Dead 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.
- 120041442/4
- 220041362/4
- 320051362/4
- 420051362/4
- 520061362/4
- 620071442/4
- 72007–2/4
- 82008–2/4
- 920081362/4
- 102009–2/4
- 112009–2/4
- 122009–2/4
- 1320101362/4
- 1420101442/4
- 1520101362/4
- 1620113362/4
- 17The Walking Dead Survivors' GuideWalking Dead Survivors' Guide Graphic Novels #12011 · 112 pages · confirmed 2/420111122/4
- 1820111362/4
- 1920111322/4
- 2020122772/4
- 212012–2/4
- 2220122452/4
- 232012–2/4
- 2420121442/4
- 252012–2/4
- 2620121362/4
- 2720121322/4
- 282013–2/4
- 2920131362/4
- 3020131362/4
- 3120142782/4
- 3220142762/4
- 3320141362/4
- 3420141362/4
- 3520141362/4
- 3620151122/4
- 3720153042/4
- 3820151362/4
- 3920151362/4
- 4020162772/4
- 412016–2/4
- 4220161362/4
- 4320172762/4
- 4420171362/4
- 4520171362/4
- 462017722/4
- 4720181282/4
- 4820181362/4
- 4920181362/4
- 502019–2/4
- 5120191362/4
- 5220192242/4
Do you have to read The Walking Dead books in order?
You should read the Walking Dead series in publication order, the order of the numbered table above; the 35 related titles (graphic novels) sit outside that sequence. The catalogue does not record whether each The Walking Dead book also stands alone.
What order should you read The Walking Dead books in?
Read them in publication order, starting with The Covers Volume 1 (2008), the earliest published book in the Walking Dead series. After it come Compendium One (2009), Rise of the Governor (2011), The Road to Woodbury (2012) and Compendium Two (2012); the numbered table above continues from there.
What is the newest The Walking Dead book?
Typhoon (2019) is the newest book in the Walking Dead series. The newest related title is Rest in Peace (2019).
Is there a new The Walking Dead book coming?
No next The Walking Dead book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
The Walking Dead at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest main-line The Walking Dead title on record is Typhoon (2019), 7 years ago.
- Release pace
- The Walking Dead books have appeared more than one a year on average.
- Length
- 6,749 pages across the 41 of 52 books with a recorded length, a median of 136 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most The Walking Dead books, 40 of 52, were published in the 2010s.
- Attribution
- Of the 52 titles, 50 are credited to Robert Kirkman and 1 to Wesley Chu. One title carries no credit.
What the The Walking Dead books are about
44 of the 52 The Walking Dead books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: zombies is tagged on 36 of 44. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Zombies 36 of 44 books
- Comics & graphic novels 30 of 44 books
- Comics & graphic novels, horror 28 of 44 books
- Survivalism 26 of 44 books
- Dystopias 20 of 44 books
- Epidemics 13 of 44 books
- Horror 10 of 44 books
- Horror comic books, strips 5 of 44 books
- Media tie-in 4 of 44 books