Sharpe Books in Order
Bernard Cornwell's long-running historical-fiction series following Richard Sharpe, a soldier who rises from the ranks of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars and earlier campaigns in India. Spanning roughly 1799 to 1821, the novels mix real battles with Sharpe's fictional exploits across India, the Peninsular War, Waterloo, and South America.
Publication order
In the order the books were originally released.
-
Buy on Amazon1981 · Bernard Cornwell
During the 1809 Talavera campaign in Spain, Richard Sharpe and his riflemen are attached to a poorly led English battalion whose arrogant colonel…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1981 · Bernard Cornwell
Sharpe is ordered to recover a hoard of Spanish gold needed to keep Wellington's army funded and fighting in the Peninsula. The mission throws him…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1982 · Bernard Cornwell
As Wellington's army lays siege to the fortress city of Badajoz in 1812, Sharpe learns that his lover Teresa and their infant daughter are trapped…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1983 · Bernard Cornwell
Ahead of the Salamanca campaign, Sharpe is sent to protect a vital intelligence agent, but a deadly French swordsman named Leroux is hunting the same…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1984 · Bernard Cornwell
A band of British and French deserters seizes a mountain village and takes hostages, including women of rank, holding them for ransom. Sharpe is sent…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1985 · Bernard Cornwell
Framed for a murder he did not commit and disgraced before the army, Sharpe becomes a pawn in a web of intrigue spun by a cunning French spymaster.…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1986 · Bernard Cornwell
With his regiment mysteriously starved of reinforcements, Sharpe returns to England to investigate and uncovers corruption in the recruiting depots…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1987 · Bernard Cornwell
Sharpe is dispatched on an amphibious operation along the French coast near Bordeaux, tasked with seizing a coastal fort and supporting royalist…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1988 · Bernard Cornwell
In 1809, the British retreat to Corunna leaves Sharpe cut off in northern Spain with a handful of demoralized riflemen who resent his command.…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1989 · Bernard Cornwell
With Napoleon's war winding down, Sharpe is accused of stealing a fortune in vanished French treasure and faces ruin and a court-martial. To clear…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1990 · Bernard Cornwell
On the eve of Waterloo in 1815, Sharpe serves as a staff officer to a young Prince of Orange whose incompetence threatens the men around him. As…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1992 · Bernard Cornwell
Years after Waterloo, a retired Sharpe sails to South America to help a friend's family and finds himself amid the wars of independence against…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1995 · Bernard Cornwell
Blamed for a humiliating defeat at a border fort, Sharpe is sidelined and assigned to a useless guard duty as the 1811 campaign unfolds. Caught up in…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1997 · Bernard Cornwell
In 1799 India, young Private Richard Sharpe is an ordinary, flogged-down redcoat marching against the Tippoo Sultan's stronghold at Seringapatam.…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1998 · Bernard Cornwell
Now a sergeant in India in 1803, Sharpe survives a massacre and sets out to hunt the British traitor responsible. His pursuit leads him into the…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon1999 · Bernard Cornwell
Newly made an officer but scorned by his fellow gentlemen, Ensign Sharpe pursues the renegade who wronged him toward the formidable hilltop fortress…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon2000 · Bernard Cornwell
Sailing home from India in 1805, Sharpe boards an East Indiaman that becomes caught up in intrigue, treachery, and the looming clash of fleets. His…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon2001 · Bernard Cornwell
Grieving and adrift in 1807, Sharpe takes a private mission to Copenhagen as Britain moves to seize the Danish fleet before Napoleon can. Drawn into…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon2003 · Bernard Cornwell
In 1809 Portugal, Sharpe is caught up in the chaos as Marshal Soult's French army storms across the north and captures Oporto. Tasked with escorting…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon2004 · Bernard Cornwell
During the 1810 retreat to the lines of Torres Vedras, Sharpe makes an enemy of a powerful and corrupt Portuguese family. Pursued and cut off behind…
Read more → -
Buy on Amazon2006 · Bernard Cornwell
In 1811 southern Spain, Sharpe is sent to Cadiz amid the campaign around the battle of Barrosa, tangled in diplomacy, treachery, and a scandal…
Read more →
Recommended reading order — Chronological order
This is the Chronological order widely recommended by readers; it differs from strict publication order.
- Buy on Amazon
1997 · Bernard Cornwell
In 1799 India, young Private Richard Sharpe is an ordinary, flogged-down redcoat marching against the Tippoo Sultan's stronghold at Seringapatam.…
Read more → - Buy on Amazon
1998 · Bernard Cornwell
Now a sergeant in India in 1803, Sharpe survives a massacre and sets out to hunt the British traitor responsible. His pursuit leads him into the…
Read more → - Buy on Amazon
1999 · Bernard Cornwell
Newly made an officer but scorned by his fellow gentlemen, Ensign Sharpe pursues the renegade who wronged him toward the formidable hilltop fortress…
Read more → - Buy on Amazon
2000 · Bernard Cornwell
Sailing home from India in 1805, Sharpe boards an East Indiaman that becomes caught up in intrigue, treachery, and the looming clash of fleets. His…
Read more → - Buy on Amazon
2001 · Bernard Cornwell
Grieving and adrift in 1807, Sharpe takes a private mission to Copenhagen as Britain moves to seize the Danish fleet before Napoleon can. Drawn into…
Read more → - Buy on Amazon
1988 · Bernard Cornwell
In 1809, the British retreat to Corunna leaves Sharpe cut off in northern Spain with a handful of demoralized riflemen who resent his command.…
Read more → - Buy on Amazon
2003 · Bernard Cornwell
In 1809 Portugal, Sharpe is caught up in the chaos as Marshal Soult's French army storms across the north and captures Oporto. Tasked with escorting…
Read more → - Buy on Amazon
1981 · Bernard Cornwell
During the 1809 Talavera campaign in Spain, Richard Sharpe and his riflemen are attached to a poorly led English battalion whose arrogant colonel…
Read more → - Buy on Amazon
1981 · Bernard Cornwell
Sharpe is ordered to recover a hoard of Spanish gold needed to keep Wellington's army funded and fighting in the Peninsula. The mission throws him…
Read more → - Buy on Amazon
2004 · Bernard Cornwell
During the 1810 retreat to the lines of Torres Vedras, Sharpe makes an enemy of a powerful and corrupt Portuguese family. Pursued and cut off behind…
Read more → - Buy on Amazon
2006 · Bernard Cornwell
In 1811 southern Spain, Sharpe is sent to Cadiz amid the campaign around the battle of Barrosa, tangled in diplomacy, treachery, and a scandal…
Read more → - Buy on Amazon
1995 · Bernard Cornwell
Blamed for a humiliating defeat at a border fort, Sharpe is sidelined and assigned to a useless guard duty as the 1811 campaign unfolds. Caught up in…
Read more → - Buy on Amazon
1982 · Bernard Cornwell
As Wellington's army lays siege to the fortress city of Badajoz in 1812, Sharpe learns that his lover Teresa and their infant daughter are trapped…
Read more → - Buy on Amazon
1983 · Bernard Cornwell
Ahead of the Salamanca campaign, Sharpe is sent to protect a vital intelligence agent, but a deadly French swordsman named Leroux is hunting the same…
Read more → - Buy on Amazon
1984 · Bernard Cornwell
A band of British and French deserters seizes a mountain village and takes hostages, including women of rank, holding them for ransom. Sharpe is sent…
Read more → - Buy on Amazon
1985 · Bernard Cornwell
Framed for a murder he did not commit and disgraced before the army, Sharpe becomes a pawn in a web of intrigue spun by a cunning French spymaster.…
Read more → - Buy on Amazon
1986 · Bernard Cornwell
With his regiment mysteriously starved of reinforcements, Sharpe returns to England to investigate and uncovers corruption in the recruiting depots…
Read more → - Buy on Amazon
1987 · Bernard Cornwell
Sharpe is dispatched on an amphibious operation along the French coast near Bordeaux, tasked with seizing a coastal fort and supporting royalist…
Read more → - Buy on Amazon
1989 · Bernard Cornwell
With Napoleon's war winding down, Sharpe is accused of stealing a fortune in vanished French treasure and faces ruin and a court-martial. To clear…
Read more → - Buy on Amazon
1990 · Bernard Cornwell
On the eve of Waterloo in 1815, Sharpe serves as a staff officer to a young Prince of Orange whose incompetence threatens the men around him. As…
Read more → - Buy on Amazon
1992 · Bernard Cornwell
Years after Waterloo, a retired Sharpe sails to South America to help a friend's family and finds himself amid the wars of independence against…
Read more →
Frequently asked questions
What order should I read the Sharpe books in?
Chronological order — This is the Chronological order widely recommended by readers; it differs from strict publication order. Both the publication order and the recommended reading order are listed above.
How many books are in the Sharpe series?
We list 21 books by Bernard Cornwell , published between 1981–2006.
Where can I buy the Sharpe books?
Each title above links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
Reading order compiled from author/publisher guidance and verified bibliographic data. Spotted an error? We continuously correct the catalog.