Encyclopedia Brown Books in Order
Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol contains 30 books, published between 1963 and 2013. The first book is Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective (1963) and the newest is Encyclopedia Brown and his Best Cases Ever (2013). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 30
- Published
- 1963–2013
- Pages on record
- 2,360 in 24 of 30 books
- Reading time
- 39–59 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 2,360 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 24 of 30 titles with a page count on record.
Leroy Brown, a 10-year-old nicknamed Encyclopedia for his intelligence, solves mysteries for friends and neighbours in Donald J. Sobol's Encyclopedia Brown series. The books target young elementary readers, with short chapters, simple vocabulary and small illustrations. The series runs to 30 books, opening with Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective (1963) and closing with Encyclopedia Brown and his Best Cases Ever (2013). Subject tags list the books as children's mystery short stories built on problem solving.
How many Encyclopedia Brown books are there?
Encyclopedia Brown has 30 books, released between 1963 and 2013.
Encyclopedia Brown Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 30 Encyclopedia Brown 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.
- 1Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective1963 · 111 pages · confirmed 1/419631111/4
- 2Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Secret Pitch1965 · 96 pages · confirmed 1/41965961/4
- 3Encyclopedia Brown Finds the Clues1966 · confirmed 1/41966–1/4
- 4Encyclopedia Brown Gets His Man1967 · 112 pages · confirmed 1/419671121/4
- 5Encyclopedia Brown Solves Them All1968 · 96 pages · confirmed 1/41968961/4
- 6Encyclopedia Brown Keeps the Peace1969 · 110 pages · confirmed 1/419691101/4
- 7Encyclopedia Brown Saves the Day1970 · 96 pages · confirmed 1/41970961/4
- 8Encyclopedia Brown Tracks Them Down1971 · 96 pages · confirmed 2/41971962/4
- 9Encyclopedia Brown Shows the Way1972 · 110 pages · confirmed 1/419721101/4
- 10Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Case1973 · confirmed 1/41973–1/4
- 11Encyclopedia Brown Lends a Hand1974 · 96 pages · confirmed 1/41974961/4
- 12Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Dead Eagles1975 · 96 pages · confirmed 1/41975961/4
- 13Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Midnight Visitor1977 · 112 pages · confirmed 1/419771121/4
- 14Encyclopedia Brown Carries On1980 · 82 pages · confirmed 1/41980821/4
- 15Encyclopedia Brown Sets The Pace1981 · 89 pages · confirmed 2/41981892/4
- 16Encyclopedia Brown Cracks the Case1982 · 128 pages · confirmed 1/419821281/4
- 17Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Cake!1982 · 121 pages · confirmed 2/419821212/4
- 18Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Mysterious Handprints1985 · 91 pages · confirmed 2/41985912/4
- 19Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Treasure Hunt1988 · 100 pages · confirmed 2/419881002/4
- 20Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Disgusting Sneakers1990 · confirmed 2/41990–2/4
- 21Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Two Spies1994 · 73 pages · confirmed 2/41994732/4
- 22Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of Pablo's Nose1996 · 73 pages · confirmed 2/41996732/4
- 23Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Sleeping Dog1998 · 70 pages · confirmed 2/41998702/4
- 24Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Slippery Salamander1999 · 87 pages · confirmed 2/41999872/4
- 25Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Jumping Frogs2003 · 69 pages · confirmed 2/42003692/4
- 26Encyclopedia Brown, Super Sleuth2009 · confirmed 1/42009–1/4
- 27Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Secret UFOs2010 · confirmed 1/42010–1/4
- 28Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Carnival Crime2011 · 86 pages · confirmed 1/42011861/4
- 29Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Soccer Scheme2012 · confirmed 1/42012–1/4
- 30Encyclopedia Brown and his Best Cases Ever2013 · 160 pages · confirmed 1/420131601/4
Is there a chronological order for Encyclopedia Brown?
No separate chronological order is on record for Encyclopedia Brown, because none of the book listings this catalogue draws on publishes one; the publication order above is the only order given.
Do you have to read Encyclopedia Brown books in order?
You should read the Encyclopedia Brown books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Encyclopedia Brown book also stands alone.
Where to start with Encyclopedia Brown
Start with Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective (1963), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Encyclopedia Brown book?
Encyclopedia Brown and his Best Cases Ever (2013) is the newest Encyclopedia Brown book released so far.
Is there a new Encyclopedia Brown book coming?
No next Encyclopedia Brown book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Encyclopedia Brown at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest Encyclopedia Brown title on record dates from 2013, 13 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
- Release pace
- Encyclopedia Brown books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 2,360 pages across the 24 of 30 books with a recorded length, a median of 96 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Encyclopedia Brown books, 7 of 30, were published in the 1970s.
What the Encyclopedia Brown books are about
All 30 Encyclopedia Brown books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: mystery & detective is tagged on 28 of 30. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Mystery & detective 28 of 30 books
- Children's fiction 24 of 30 books
- Brown, encyclopedia (fictitious character) 16 of 30 books
- Short stories 3 of 30 books
- Boy detectives 2 of 30 books
- Criminal investigation 2 of 30 books
More books by Donald J. Sobol
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Donald J. Sobol books in order 55 books