Rex Stout (1886-1975) was an American author of detective fiction, most famous for his series featuring detective Nero Wolfe. Aside from his Nero Wolfe series (which fills up the lion’s share of his prolific bibliography), he wrote one other series called Tecumseh Fox, many standalone novels, several short story collections and even a Nero Wolfe cookbook. Rex’s narrative and dialogue were top-notch, giving his novels a certain re-readable quality.

Stout’s first novel was a standalone novel titled Her Forbidden Knight, published in 1913. He would continue writing standalones until he wrote the first Nero Wolfe novel, Fer-de-Lance, published in 1934. Below is a list of Rex Stout’s books in order of when they were originally published (and in chronological order):

Publication Order of Nero Wolfe by Rex Stout Books

Fer-de-Lance / Meet Nero Wolfe(1934)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The League of Frightened Men(1935)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Rubber Band / To Kill Again(1936)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Red Box / Case of the Red Box(1937)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Too Many Cooks(1938)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Some Buried Caesar / The Red Bull(1939)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Over My Dead Body(1940)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Where There's a Will(1940)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Black Orchids(1942)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Not Quite Dead Enough(1944)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Silent Speaker(1946)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Too Many Women(1947)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
And Be a Villain / More Deaths Than One(1948)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Trouble in Triplicate(1949)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Second Confession(1949)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Even in the Best Families / In the Best Families(1950)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Three Doors to Death / Door to Death(1950)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Curtains for Three(1951)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Murder by the Book(1951)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Prisoner's Base / Out She Goes(1952)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Triple Jeopardy(1952)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Golden Spiders(1953)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Black Mountain(1954)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Three Men Out(1954)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Before Midnight(1955)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Might as Well Be Dead(1956)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Three Witnesses(1956)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
If Death Ever Slept(1957)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Three for the Chair(1957)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
And Four to Go / Crime and Again(1958)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Champagne for One(1958)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Plot it Yourself / Murder in Style(1959)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Three at Wolfe's Door(1960)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Too Many Clients(1960)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Final Deduction(1961)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Homicide Trinity(1962)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Gambit(1962)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Mother Hunt(1963)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Trio for Blunt Instruments(1964)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
A Right to Die(1964)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Doorbell Rang(1965)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Death of a Doxy(1966)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Father Hunt(1968)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Death of a Dude(1969)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Please Pass The Guilt(1973)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
A Family Affair(1975)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Death Times Three(1985)Description / Buy at Amazon.com

Publication Order of Nero Wolfe Short Stories/Novellas

Disguise for Murder / The Twisted Scarf(1950)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Bitter End(1997)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Booby Trap(2013)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Cordially Invited to Meet Death(2014)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Last Drive: And Other Stories(2015)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo, and FLO! / Eeny Meeny Murder Mo(2015)Description / Buy at Amazon.com

Publication Order of Tecumseh Fox Books

Double for Death(1939)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Bad for Business(1940)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Broken Vase(1941)Description / Buy at Amazon.com

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Her Forbidden Knight(1913)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Under the Andes(1914)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
A Prize for Princes(1914)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Great Legend(1916)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
How Like a God(1929)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Seed on the Wind(1930)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Golden Remedy(1931)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Forest Fire(1933)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The President Vanishes(1934)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
O Careless Love!(1935)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Hand in the Glove / Crime on Her Hands(1937)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Mr. Cinderella(1939)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Mountain Cat Murders / The Mountain Cat(1939)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Red Threads(1939)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
The Sound of Murder / Alphabet Hicks(1941)Description / Buy at Amazon.com

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Corsage(1977)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Justice Ends At Home and Other Stories(1977)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
Target Practice(1997)Description / Buy at Amazon.com
An Officer and a Lady and Other Stories(2000)Description / Buy at Amazon.com

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

The Nero Wolfe Cookbook(1969)Description / Buy at Amazon.com

Publication Order of Anthologies

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Notes: Fer-de-Lance was also published as Meet Nero Wolfe. The Rubber Band was also titled To Kill Again. The Red Box is also known as Case of the Red Box. Some Buried Caesar was also published as The Red Bull. And Be a Villain was also titled More Deaths Than One. Even in the Best Families was also titled In the Best Families. Three Doors to Death was also titled Door to Death. Prisoner’s Base was also titled Out She Goes. And Four to Go was also published as Crime And Again. Plot It Yourself is also known as Murder in Style. The Hand in the Glove is also known as Crime on Her Hands. Alphabet Hicks is also known as The Sound of Murder. The Mountain Cat was also titled The Mountain Cat Murders.

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One Response to “Order of Rex Stout Books”

  1. Disgruntled52: 8 years ago

    I do believe that “Even in the Best Families” (Rex Stout) is actually entitled “In the Best Families”.

    Reply

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