Order of Book Series
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Hank the Cowdog Books in Order

Hank the Cowdog by John R. Erickson contains 90 books, published between 1980 and 2025. The first book is The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog (1980) and the newest is The Case of the Poison Toad (2025). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
90
Published
1980–2025
Pages on record
8,015 in 64 of 90 books
Reading time
134–200 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 8,015 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 64 of 90 titles with a page count on record.

See all 90 books in order Printable Hank the Cowdog checklist

Hank the Cowdog is a comic children's series by John R. Erickson about a ranch dog who has appointed himself Head of Ranch Security. Cattle rustlers, wild animals and the daily run of ranch work give Hank trouble across 90 catalogued books, from The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog (1980) to The Case of the Poison Toad in 2025. Dogs, cats, humour and detective stories fill the subject list, and the series is ongoing.

How many Hank the Cowdog books are there?

Hank the Cowdog has 90 books, released between 1980 and 2025.

Hank the Cowdog Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 90 Hank the Cowdog 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 The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog by John R. Erickson, book 1 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1980)
  2. Cover of The Further Adventures of Hank the Cowdog by John R. Erickson, book 2 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1983)
  3. Cover of It's a Dog's Life by John R. Erickson, book 3 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1984)
  4. Cover of Murder in the Middle Pasture by John R. Erickson, book 4 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1985)
  5. Cover of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie by John R. Erickson, book 6 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1986)
  6. Cover of The Curse of the Incredible Priceless Corncob by John R. Erickson, book 7 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1986)
  7. Cover of The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse by John R. Erickson, book 8 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1987)
  8. Cover of The Case of the Halloween Ghost by John R. Erickson, book 9 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1987)
  9. Cover of Every Dog Has His Day by John R. Erickson, book 10 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1988)
  10. Cover of Lost in the Dark Unchanted Forest by John R. Erickson, book 11 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1988)
  11. Cover of The Case of the Fiddle Playing Fox by John R. Erickson, book 12 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1989)
  12. Cover of The Wounded Buzzard on Christmas Eve by John R. Erickson, book 13 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1989)
  13. Cover of Hank the Cowdog and Monkey Business by John R. Erickson, book 14 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1990)
  14. Cover of The Case of the Missing Cat by John R. Erickson, book 15 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1990)
  15. Cover of Lost in the Blinded Blizzard by John R. Erickson, book 16 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1991)
  16. Cover of The Case of the Car-Barkaholic Dog by John R. Erickson, book 17 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1991)
  17. Cover of The Case of the Hooking Bull by John R. Erickson, book 18 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1992)
  18. Cover of The Case of the Midnight Rustler by John R. Erickson, book 19 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1992)
  19. Cover of The Phantom in the Mirror by John R. Erickson, book 20 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1993)
  20. Cover of The Case of the Vampire Cat by John R. Erickson, book 21 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1993)
  21. Cover of Moonlight Madness by John R. Erickson, book 22 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1994)
  22. Cover of The Case of the Black-hooded Hangmans by John R. Erickson, book 23 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1995)
  23. Cover of The Case of the Kidnapped Collie by John R. Erickson, book 24 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1996)
  24. Cover of The Case of the Night-Stalking Bone Monster by John R. Erickson, book 25 of the Hank the Cowdog series (1996)
  1. 1
    The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog1980 · 144 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1980144
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    The Further Adventures of Hank the Cowdog1983 · confirmed 2/4
    1983–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    It's a Dog's Life1984 · 136 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1984136
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Murder in the Middle Pasture1985 · confirmed 2/4
    1985–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Faded Love1985 · confirmed 2/4
    1985–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Let Sleeping Dogs Lie1986 · confirmed 2/4
    1986–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    The Curse of the Incredible Priceless Corncob1986 · 136 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1986136
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse1987 · 136 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1987136
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    The Case of the Halloween Ghost1987 · 131 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1987131
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Every Dog Has His Day1988 · confirmed 2/4
    1988–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Lost in the Dark Unchanted Forest1988 · confirmed 2/4
    1988–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    The Case of the Fiddle Playing Fox1989 · 131 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1989131
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    The Wounded Buzzard on Christmas Eve1989 · 112 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1989112
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Hank the Cowdog and Monkey Business1990 · 110 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1990110
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    The Case of the Missing Cat1990 · 114 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1990114
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Lost in the Blinded Blizzard1991 · 115 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1991115
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    The Case of the Car-Barkaholic Dog1991 · 116 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1991116
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    The Case of the Hooking Bull1992 · 109 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1992109
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    The Case of the Midnight Rustler1992 · 113 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1992113
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    The Phantom in the Mirror1993 · 114 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1993114
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    The Case of the Vampire Cat1993 · 115 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1993115
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    Moonlight Madness1994 · 114 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1994114
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    The Case of the Black-hooded Hangmans1995 · 113 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1995113
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    The Case of the Kidnapped Collie1996 · 113 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1996113
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    The Case of the Night-Stalking Bone Monster1996 · 144 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1996144
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    The Mopwater Files1997 · 111 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1997111
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    The Case of the Vampire Vacuum Sweeper1997 · 122 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1997122
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    The Case of the Haystack Kitties1998 · 123 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1998123
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    The Case of the Vanishing Fishhook1998 · confirmed 2/4
    1998–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    The Case of the Garbage Monster from Outer Space1999 · 126 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1999126
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Is there a chronological order for Hank the Cowdog?

No separate chronological order is on record for Hank the Cowdog, 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 Hank the Cowdog books in order?

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

Where to start with Hank the Cowdog

Start with The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog (1980), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Hank the Cowdog book?

The Case of the Poison Toad (2025) is the newest Hank the Cowdog book released so far.

Is there a new Hank the Cowdog book coming?

No next Hank the Cowdog book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Hank the Cowdog at a glance

Still running
Hank the Cowdog is still running, with a title published as recently as 2025.
Release pace
Hank the Cowdog books have appeared more than one a year on average.
Length
8,015 pages across the 64 of 90 books with a recorded length, a median of 124 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Hank the Cowdog books, 30 of 90, were published in the 2010s.

What the Hank the Cowdog books are about

75 of the 90 Hank the Cowdog books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: dogs is tagged on 69 of 75. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

More books by John R. Erickson

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