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Erle Stanley Gardner

3 series 56 books in order 1930–1988

Erle Stanley Gardner (July 17, 1889 – March 11, 1970) was an American author and former lawyer. He is best known for the Perry Mason series of legal detective stories. Gardner wrote numerous novels, shorter pieces, and nonfiction books, often based on his travels in Baja California and other regions in Mexico. He published under many pseudonyms, including A. A. Fair, Carl Franklin Ruth, Carleton Kendrake, Charles M. Green, Charles J. Kenny, Edward Leaming, Grant Holiday, Kyle Corning, Les Tillray, Robert Parr, and Stephen Caldwell. He also wrote one story as the Perry Mason character Della Street under the title "The Case of the Suspect Sweethearts." Three stories were published under the name "Anonymous."

Born
1889
Active years
1930–1988
Known for
Perry Mason, Guild books series, Polnoe sobranie sochineniĭ

Series by Erle Stanley Gardner

Perry Mason

45 books in order · 1933–1986 · Publication order

  1. Cover of The case of the velvet claws

    The case of the velvet claws

    1933 · Erle Stanley Gardner

    In Perry Mason's debut, a woman calling herself Eva Griffin hires him to keep her name out of a scandal sheet that threatens to expose her connection…

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  2. Cover of The case of the sulky girl

    The case of the sulky girl

    1937 · Erle Stanley Gardner

    Frances Celane, a bratty heiress, visits Perry Mason to discuss a strange part of her father's will. The codicil states she would be disinherited if…

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  3. Cover of The case of the lucky legs

    The case of the lucky legs

    1934 · Erle Stanley Gardner

    A swindler running a phony movie-talent contest to find girls with the loveliest legs vanishes after fleecing his victims, and an angry father wants…

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  4. Cover of The case of the howling dog

    The case of the howling dog

    1934 · Erle Stanley Gardner

    Arthur Cartright's official complaint about a neighbor's noisy dog leads Perry Mason and his associate into a case involving a poisoned police dog, a…

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  5. Cover of The Case of the Curious Bride

    The Case of the Curious Bride

    1934 · Erle Stanley Gardner

    After con man Greg Moxley marries Rhoda Lorton, he takes her money and flees, only to have his plane crash. Years later, Rhoda weds millionaire scion…

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  6. Cover of The case of the counterfeit eye

    The case of the counterfeit eye

    1935 · Erle Stanley Gardner

    Mason is drawn into a bizarre affair involving a wealthy man's missing glass eye, which turns up clutched in the hand of a murder victim. With a…

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  7. Cover of The case of the sleepwalker's niece

    The case of the sleepwalker's niece

    1936 · Erle Stanley Gardner

    A worried young woman fears that her sleepwalking uncle may have committed murder during one of his nighttime episodes, the carving knife found…

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  8. Cover of The case of the stuttering bishop

    The case of the stuttering bishop

    1936 · Erle Stanley Gardner

    A stammering bishop visits Mason with a strange tale of a long-ago hit-and-run and a possible heiress switched at birth, then disappears, leaving…

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  9. Cover of The case of the dangerous dowager

    The case of the dangerous dowager

    1937 · Erle Stanley Gardner

    A formidable elderly dowager hires Mason in a matter involving forged IOUs and a gambling ship anchored beyond the law offshore. When a murder occurs…

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  10. Cover of The case of the lame canary

    The case of the lame canary

    1937 · Erle Stanley Gardner

    A woman's concern over her sister's troubled marriage and a caged canary with a clipped leg draws Mason into a case that soon turns to murder. The…

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Show all 45 Perry Mason books in order →

Guild books series

5 books in order · 1930–1937

  1. Cover of The case of the velvet claws

    The case of the velvet claws

    1933 · Erle Stanley Gardner

    In Perry Mason's debut, a woman calling herself Eva Griffin hires him to keep her name out of a scandal sheet that threatens to expose her connection…

    Read more →
    Buy on Amazon
  2. Cover of The case of the sulky girl

    The case of the sulky girl

    1937 · Erle Stanley Gardner

    Frances Celane, a bratty heiress, visits Perry Mason to discuss a strange part of her father's will. The codicil states she would be disinherited if…

    Read more →
    Buy on Amazon
  3. Cover of Death to the French

    Death to the French

    1932 · C. S. Forester

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  4. Cover of The case of the turning tide

    The case of the turning tide

    Year unknown · Erle Stanley Gardner

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  5. Cover of High wages

    High wages

    1930 · Dorothy Whipple

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Polnoe sobranie sochineniĭ

13 books in order · 1942–1988

  1. Cover of Figure it out for yourself

    Figure it out for yourself

    1950 · James Hadley Chase

    Serena Marshland, the fourth richest woman in the world with a cold, diamond-hard beauty, hires tough private investigator Vic Malloy after her…

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Frequently asked questions

How many books has Erle Stanley Gardner written?

We list 56 books by Erle Stanley Gardner across 3 series, published between 1930–1988 — each shown in full reading order.

What order should I read Erle Stanley Gardner's books?

Read each series in publication order. A good place to start is “The case of the velvet claws.” Open any series above for its complete numbered reading order.

Where can I buy Erle Stanley Gardner's books?

Every title links to Amazon from its series page. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.

Bibliography and reading orders compiled from verified bibliographic data. Spotted an error? We continuously correct the catalog.