Reading Order
George Smileyseries.seoTitleShort
Start with Call for the Dead and continue through all 9 books in the listed reading order.
Start Here
Start with Call for the Dead
Book 1 by John le Carré • Published 1961
A routine security check ends with a Foreign Office official apparently taking his own life. George Smiley suspects murder, and his quiet investigation uncovers an East German spy network operating in the heart of pos...
Complete List
George Smiley reading order
Ends with A Legacy of Spies
- 1
Book 1:Call for the Dead
John le Carré • 1961
A routine security check ends with a Foreign Office official apparently taking his own life. George Smiley suspects murder, and his quiet investigation uncovers an East German spy network operating in the heart of pos...
- 2
Book 2:A Murder of Quality
John le Carré • 1962
When the frightened wife of a schoolmaster writes to say her husband may kill her, George Smiley is pulled into a murder case at an elite English school. Old grudges and class snobbery prove as dangerous as any spy.
- 3
Book 3:The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
John le Carré • 2 recommendations
Use the reading order above to move through the series in the intended sequence.
- 4
Book 4:The Looking Glass War
John le Carré • 1965
A fading British intelligence department seizes on a rumour of Soviet missiles in East Germany and tries to run one last secret mission. Ill-prepared men, old rivalries and wishful thinking turn the operation into a s...
- 5
Book 5:Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
John le Carré • 1 recommendation
Use the reading order above to move through the series in the intended sequence.
- 6
Book 6:The Honourable Schoolboy
John le Carré
Use the reading order above to move through the series in the intended sequence.
- 7
Book 7:Smiley's People
John le Carré
Use the reading order above to move through the series in the intended sequence.
- 8
Book 8:The Secret Pilgrim
John le Carré • 1990
At a dinner for new recruits, veteran field man Ned listens as George Smiley speaks and finds his own memories flooding back. The book unfolds as linked stories from Ned’s career, charting the human cost of Cold War e...
- 9
Book 9:A Legacy of Spies
John le Carré • 2017
Decades after the Berlin Wall, Peter Guillam is summoned back to London and interrogated about a long-buried operation connected to Alec Leamas. Lawsuits from the children of the dead force him to revisit secret files...
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George Smiley FAQ
What is the best order to read the George Smiley series?
The recommended reading order is the numbered order shown on this page, starting with Call for the Dead.
How many books are in the George Smiley series?
There are 9 books currently listed in the George Smiley series on GurusReads.
Where should I start with the George Smiley series?
New readers should start with Call for the Dead, the first book in the reading order.
Is the George Smiley series complete?
Based on the publication years we have, the series appears likely complete and spans releases from 1961 to 2017.