Standalone Books in Order
Below you'll find the complete list of Standalone books in publication order. This is generally the recommended reading order for the series.
Reading order verified: January 2026
Publication Order
The Grass Is Singing
Buy on Amazon1950
Retreat to Innocence
Buy on Amazon1956
The Golden Notebook
Buy on Amazon1962
A Man and Two Women
Buy on Amazon1963
Winter in July
Buy on Amazon1964
The Black Madonna
Buy on Amazon1966
Particularly Cats
Buy on Amazon1967
Briefing for a Descent Into Hell
Buy on Amazon1971
The Summer Before the Dark
Buy on Amazon1973
The Memoirs of a Survivor
Buy on Amazon1974
The Good Terrorist
Buy on Amazon1985
Playing The Game (With: Charlie Adlard)
Buy on Amazon1994
Love, Again
Buy on Amazon1995
Old Age of El Magnifico
Buy on Amazon2000
The Sweetest Dream
Buy on Amazon2001
The Cleft
Buy on Amazon2007
Alfred and Emily
Buy on Amazon2008
The Old Chief Mshlanga
Buy on Amazon1952
The Day Stalin Died
Buy on Amazon1958
Report on the Threatened City
Buy on Amazon1972
Through the Tunnel
Buy on Amazon1989
Adore
Buy on Amazon2003
An Old Woman and Her Cat
Buy on Amazon2013
Five
Buy on Amazon1954
The Habit of Loving
Buy on Amazon1957
To Room Nineteen
Buy on Amazon1958
Fourteen Poems
Buy on Amazon1959
African Stories
Buy on Amazon1965
Nine African Stories
Buy on Amazon1965
The Temptation of Jack Orkney
Buy on Amazon1972
Stories
Buy on Amazon1978
The Story of a Non-Marrying Man
Buy on Amazon1979
The Real Thing / London Observed
Buy on Amazon1991
The Doris Lessing Reader
Buy on Amazon1991
Spies I Have Known
Buy on Amazon1995
Play With A Tiger
Buy on Amazon1996
Problems, Myths and Stories
Buy on Amazon1999
The Grandmothers
Buy on Amazon2003
Frequently Asked Questions
The recommended reading order for the Standalone series is publication order: 1. The Grass Is Singing (1950), 2. Retreat to Innocence (1956), 3. The Golden Notebook (1962), 4. A Man and Two Women (1963), 5. Winter in July (1964), and 33 more. This is generally the best way to experience the story as the author intended.
The Standalone series by Doris Lessing contains 38 books. The series began in 1950 and continues to be a popular choice for readers.
The Standalone series is written by Doris Lessing. You can find more books and series by this author on our website.
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