Books In Order: The Remarkable Literary Journey of Rex Stout
Rex Stout (1886-1975), an acclaimed American author, commanded a widely admired portfolio, demonstrating exceptional skills in detective fiction. Stout’s name is synonymous with his most recognized creation, the astute investigator Nero Wolfe. Yet, his repertoire expands beyond the Nero Wolfe series, comprising another worthwhile series, Tecumtha Fox, a plethora of standalone tales, engaging short story collections, and even a delightful Nero Wolfe cookbook.
The Unique Style and Unmatched Craftsmanship of Rex Stout
Stout’s literary oeuvre, marked by sharp dialogue and intricately woven narratives, awards his novels a compelling quality—tantalizing readers to revisit and explore every detail, every emotion, every plot twist once again. Stout’s variable themes and striking writing style are widely acclaimed for their re-readable appeal.
The author embarked on his illustrious writing journey with the standalone novel, Her Forbidden Knight, published in 1913. It wasn’t until 1934, however, that Stout introduced the world to the ingenious Nero Wolfe through Fer-de-Lance.
Rex Stout’s Prolific Bibliography: Books In Order
With an extensive career that shaped detective fiction, Rex Stout’s impressive work chronology deserves acknowledgment and celebration. Discerning readers will be pleased to find here a comprehensive list of Rex Stout’s books in order of their original publication, as well as arranged chronologically.
Publication Order of Nero Wolfe by Rex Stout Books
| Fer-de-Lance / Meet Nero Wolfe | (1934) |    |
| The League of Frightened Men | (1935) | |
| The Rubber Band / To Kill Again | (1936) | |
| The Red Box / Case of the Red Box | (1937) | |
| Too Many Cooks | (1938) | |
| Some Buried Caesar / The Red Bull | (1939) | |
| Over My Dead Body | (1940) | |
| Where There’s a Will | (1940) | |
| Black Orchids | (1942) | |
| Not Quite Dead Enough | (1944) | |
| The Silent Speaker | (1946) | |
| Too Many Women | (1947) | |
| And Be a Villain / More Deaths Than One | (1948) | |
| Trouble in Triplicate | (1949) | |
| The Second Confession | (1949) | |
| Even in the Best Families / In the Best Families | (1950) | |
| Three Doors to Death / Door to Death | (1950) | |
| Curtains for Three | (1951) | |
| Murder by the Book | (1951) | |
| Prisoner’s Base / Out She Goes | (1952) | |
| Triple Jeopardy | (1952) | |
| The Golden Spiders | (1953) | |
| The Black Mountain | (1954) | |
| Three Men Out | (1954) | |
| Before Midnight | (1955) | |
| Might as Well Be Dead | (1956) | |
| Three Witnesses | (1956) | |
| If Death Ever Slept | (1957) | |
| Three for the Chair | (1957) | |
| And Four to Go / Crime and Again | (1958) | |
| Champagne for One | (1958) | |
| Plot it Yourself / Murder in Style | (1959) | |
| Three at Wolfe’s Door | (1960) | |
| Too Many Clients | (1960) | |
| The Final Deduction | (1961) | |
| Homicide Trinity | (1962) | |
| Gambit | (1962) | |
| The Mother Hunt | (1963) | |
| Trio for Blunt Instruments | (1964) | |
| A Right to Die | (1964) | |
| The Doorbell Rang | (1965) | |
| Death of a Doxy | (1966) | |
| The Father Hunt | (1968) | |
| Death of a Dude | (1969) | |
| Please Pass The Guilt | (1973) | |
| A Family Affair | (1975) | |
| Death Times Three | (1985) | |