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Non-Fiction Books in Order
Below you'll find the complete list of Non-Fiction books in publication order. This is generally the recommended reading order for the series.
Reading order verified: March 2026
Quick Answer
What order should I read the Non-Fiction series? Start with "All the Assholes in the World and Mine" (1966) and follow publication order through all 20 books.
The complete Non-Fiction reading order is listed below in publication sequence.
Publication Order
All the Assholes in the World and Mine
1966
Notes of a Dirty Old Man
1969
Shakespeare Never Did This
1979
The Bukowski/Purdy Letters
1984
Screams from the Balcony
1993
Living On Luck
1995
The Captain is Out to Lunch and the Sailors Have Taken Over the Ship
1998
Reach for the Sun
1999
Beerspit Night and Cursing
2001
Selected Letters Volume 1: 1958-1965
2004
Selected Letters Volume 2: 1965-1970
2004
Selected Letters Volume 3: 1971-1986
2004
Slouching Toward Nirvana
2005
Selected Letters Volume 4: 1987-1994
2005
More Notes of a Dirty Old Man
2011
On Writing
2015
On Cats
2015
On Love
2016
The Mathematics of the Breath and the Way: On Writers and Writing
2018
On Drinking
2019
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