George Smiley series Books in Order
John le Carré's long-running series following George Smiley, the unassuming, brilliant British intelligence officer of "the Circus," whose quiet duels with Soviet spymaster Karla form the heart of Cold War espionage fiction. The sequence runs from his 1961 debut through a 2017 coda, with a 2024 continuation novel written by le Carré's son Nick Harkaway.
Publication order
In the order the books were originally released.
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Buy on Amazon1961 · John le Carré
This novel by John le Carré is his first book and introduces George Smiley, who investigates the apparent suicide of Samuel Fennan, a Foreign Office…
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Buy on Amazon1962 · John le Carré
John le Carré's second novel is the only one in the series set in a public school rather than focusing on espionage. The story follows George Smiley,…
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Buy on AmazonThe Spy Who Came in from the Cold
1964 · John le Carré
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a 1963 Cold War spy novel by John le Carré. The story follows Alec Leamas, a British intelligence officer, who…
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Buy on Amazon1969 · John le Carré
The Looking Glass War is a 1965 spy novel by John le Carré, written in response to the positive public reaction to his previous novel, The Spy Who…
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Buy on Amazon1974 · John le Carré
George Smiley is assigned to uncover the identity of the double agent operating in the highest levels of British Intelligence. A 1974 novel by John…
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Buy on Amazon1977 · John le Carré
With the Service reeling from betrayal, Smiley takes charge of the wreckage and hunts for a way to strike back at Moscow. A trail of laundered money…
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Buy on Amazon1979 · John le Carré
Smiley's People is a 1979 spy novel by John le Carré. It is the third and final book in the "Karla Trilogy," following Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and…
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Buy on Amazon1990 · John le Carré
The Secret Pilgrim is a 1990 novel by John le Carré, structured as an informal dinner conversation at a spy-training school in Sarratt. The story is…
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2017 · John le Carré
Peter Guillam, long retired to France, is summoned back to London when the modern Service faces legal fallout from a Cold War operation that ended in…
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Companion & related books
Related titles and editions that sit outside the main numbered order.
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Buy on Amazon1977 · John le Carré
Previously titled Father of Frankenstein, this novel was the basis for the 1998 film starring Sir Ian McKellen, Lynn Redgrave, and Brendan Fraser. It…
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Frequently asked questions
What order should I read the George Smiley series books in?
Publication order — Widely recommended by readers and order-of-books reference sites (e.g. BookSeriesInOrder, OrderOfBooks), which advise starting with Call for the Dead and following the order le Carré published the books Start with “Call for the Dead.”
How many books are in the George Smiley series series?
We list 10 books by John le Carré , published between 1961–2017.
Where can I buy the George Smiley series books?
Each title above links to Amazon. See our affiliate disclosure.
Reading order compiled from author/publisher guidance and verified bibliographic data. Spotted an error? We continuously correct the catalog.