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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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