Xanth Books in Order
Piers Anthony has written 50 Xanth books, published between 1977 and 2026: 49 in the Xanth series and 1 related title. The first book is A Spell for Chameleon (1977) and the newest main-line book is Knicklepede Knight (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 50
- Published
- 1977–2026
- Confirmed
- 22 of 50 titles
- Pages on record
- 13,288 in 40 of 50 books
- Reading time
- 221–332 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 13,288 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 40 of 50 titles with a page count on record.
Xanth is Piers Anthony's comic fantasy series, set in an imaginary land of that name. A Spell for Chameleon (1977) opens a run of 50 catalogued books that reaches Knicklepede Knight (2026), with The Source of Magic, Castle Roogna and Ogre, Ogre early in the sequence. Magic, quests and princesses recur through the subject tags, and a graphic novel line accompanies the novels.
How many Xanth books are there?
Xanth has 50 books, released between 1977 and 2026. 49 of them belong to the Xanth series, and 1 related title sit outside it: graphic novels.
Xanth Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 50 Xanth 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.
- 119773443/4
- 219783263/4
- 319793293/4
- 419813043/4
- 519823203/4
- 619823203/4
- 719833063/4
- 819843093/4
- 919863273/4
- 1019873242/4
- 1119883402/4
- 1219893522/4
- 131990802/4
- 141990–3/4
- 1519913592/4
- 1619923423/4
- 1719923522/4
- 181993–2/4
- 1919943522/4
- 201995–2/4
- 2119963522/4
- 2219973402/4
- 2319983523/4
- 2419993842/4
- 2520003842/4
- 2620013843/4
- 2720023522/4
- 2820033612/4
- 2920043683/4
- 3020053843/4
- 3120063522/4
- 3220073842/4
- 3320083842/4
- 342009–3/4
- 3520103842/4
- 3620113042/4
- 3720123502/4
- 3820133362/4
- 3920132822/4
- 4020142823/4
- 4120162893/4
- 4220173003/4
- 4320192963/4
- 4420202983/4
- 452021–2/4
- 462021–2/4
- 472022–2/4
- 482023–3/4
- 492025–2/4
- 502026–2/4
Xanth Books in Chronological Order
By publication date, the books of the Xanth series run from A Spell for Chameleon (1977) to Knicklepede Knight (2026), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Xanth in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.
Do you have to read Xanth books in order?
You should read the Xanth series in publication order, the order of the numbered table above; the 1 related title (graphic novels) sit outside that sequence. The catalogue does not record whether each Xanth book also stands alone.
Where to start with Xanth
Start with A Spell for Chameleon (1977), the earliest published book in the Xanth series.
What is the newest Xanth book?
Knicklepede Knight (2026) is the newest book in the Xanth series.
Is there a new Xanth book coming?
No next Xanth 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 Xanth has won
Wikidata records 1 award and 5 nominations for Xanth. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- August Derleth Award1978Wonfor A Spell for Chameleon
- Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel1984Shortlistedfor Dragon on a Pedestal
- Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel1983Shortlistedfor Centaur Aisle
- Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel1983Shortlistedfor Ogre, Ogre
- Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel1980Shortlistedfor Castle Roogna
- Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel1978Shortlistedfor A Spell for Chameleon
Xanth at a glance
- Still running
- Xanth is still running, with a main-line title published as recently as 2026.
- Release pace
- Xanth books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 13,288 pages across the 40 of 50 books with a recorded length, a median of 341 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Xanth books, 12 of 50, were published in the 1990s.
What the Xanth books are about
44 of the 50 Xanth books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: fantasy is tagged on 36 of 44. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Fantasy 36 of 44 books
- Science fiction 16 of 44 books
- Magic 7 of 44 books
- Humor 6 of 44 books
- Space opera 5 of 44 books
- Fantasy, epic 3 of 44 books
- Princesses 3 of 44 books
- Quests (expeditions) 3 of 44 books
- Action & adventure 2 of 44 books
- American literature 2 of 44 books
More books by Piers Anthony
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Piers Anthony books in order 195 books