Order of Book Series
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Father Brown Books in Order

Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton contains 12 books, published between 1911 and 1936. The first book is The Innocence of Father Brown (1911) and the newest is Father Brown of the Church of Rome (1936). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
12
Published
1911–1936
Pages on record
2,424 in 10 of 12 books
Reading time
40–61 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 2,424 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 10 of 12 titles with a page count on record.

See all 12 books in order Printable Father Brown checklist

Father Brown is a detective series by G.K. Chesterton, built around a Catholic priest and catalogued as English detective and mystery stories. The Innocence of Father Brown (1911) opens the run, which reaches 12 volumes by 1936 and includes The Wisdom of Father Brown (1914), The Incredulity of Father Brown (1923) and The Secret of Father Brown (1927). Subject headings place the stories in England among clergy. The series is complete.

How many Father Brown books are there?

Father Brown has 12 books, released between 1911 and 1936.

Father Brown Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 12 Father 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.

  1. Cover of Father Brown Stories by G.K. Chesterton, book 1 of the Father Brown series (1927)
  2. Cover of Favorite Father Brown Stories by G.K. Chesterton, book 2 of the Father Brown series (1935)
  3. Cover of The Incredulity of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton, book 3 of the Father Brown series (1923)
  4. Cover of The Secret of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton, book 4 of the Father Brown series (1927)
  5. Cover of The Best of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton, book 4 of the Father Brown series (1935)
  6. Cover of The Scandal of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton, book 5 of the Father Brown series (1935)
  7. Cover of Father Brown: A Selection by G.K. Chesterton, book 6 of the Father Brown series (1935)
  8. Cover of Father Brown of the Church of Rome by G.K. Chesterton, book 7 of the Father Brown series (1936)
  1. 1
    The Innocence of Father Brown1911 · 178 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1911178
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 1
    Father Brown Stories1927 · 256 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1927256
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 2
    The Wisdom of Father Brown1914 · confirmed 2/4
    1914–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 2
    Favorite Father Brown Stories1935 · 89 pages · confirmed 2/4
    193589
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 3
    The Incredulity of Father Brown1923 · 198 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1923198
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 3
    Father Brown: The Complete Collection1935 · confirmed 2/4
    1935–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 4
    The Secret of Father Brown1927 · 187 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1927187
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 4
    The Best of Father Brown1935 · 304 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1935304
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 5
    The Puffin Father Brown Stories1935 · 176 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1935176
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 5
    The Scandal of Father Brown1935 · 184 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1935184
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 6
    Father Brown: A Selection1935 · 582 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1935582
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 7
    Father Brown of the Church of Rome1936 · 270 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1936270
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Is there a chronological order for Father Brown?

No separate chronological order is on record for Father 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 Father Brown books in order?

You should read the Father Brown books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Father Brown book also stands alone.

Where to start with Father Brown

Start with The Innocence of Father Brown (1911), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Father Brown book?

Father Brown of the Church of Rome (1936) is the newest Father Brown book released so far.

Is there a new Father Brown book coming?

No next Father 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.

Father Brown at a glance

No recent titles
The newest Father Brown title on record dates from 1936, 90 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
Release pace
Father Brown books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
Length
2,424 pages across the 10 of 12 books with a recorded length, a median of 192 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Father Brown books, 7 of 12, were published in the 1930s.

What the Father Brown books are about

10 of the 12 Father Brown books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: brown, father (fictitious character) is tagged on 7 of 10. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

More books by G.K. Chesterton

The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.