Arthur C. Clarke
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CLARKE, ARTHUR C., 1917 to 2008

Arthur C. Clarke

Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008) was an English science fiction writer, author of Childhood's End and the novel of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Also wrote as Charles Willis, E.G. O'Brien

Books
36
Editions tracked
58
First editions
31
Nationality
United Kingdom

WikidataOpen LibrarySearch within Arthur C. Clarke

Arthur C. Clarke wrote 36 books we track between 1951 and 2008; in publication order they begin with Prelude to Space (1951).

About Arthur C. Clarke

Sir Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008) was an English science fiction writer and futurist, co-creator with Stanley Kubrick of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and author of Childhood's End (1953) and Rendezvous with Rama (1973).

He was born on 16 December 1917 in Minehead, Somerset. From 1941 to 1946 he served in the Royal Air Force as a radar specialist, and in October 1945 he published "Extra-Terrestrial Relays" in Wireless World, a paper proposing communication satellites in geostationary orbit. His novella Against the Fall of Night appeared in 1948 and was expanded into a novel in 1953, the same year as Childhood's End, which grew out of his short story "Guardian Angel". He moved to Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, in 1956 and lived there for the rest of his life.

2001: A Space Odyssey was developed alongside Kubrick's film, drawing partly on Clarke's story "The Sentinel", and published in June 1968, after the film's release; it was followed by 2010: Odyssey Two (1982), 2061: Odyssey Three (1987) and 3001: The Final Odyssey (1997). Rendezvous with Rama won the Nebula, Hugo, BSFA, John W. Campbell Memorial and Locus awards, and The Fountains of Paradise (1979) won the Nebula and Hugo. He was knighted in the 1998 New Year Honours for services to literature and died in Colombo on 19 March 2008.

For collectors. Childhood's End was first published by Ballantine Books in August 1953, with the paperback as the main edition, and its first printing sold out within two months. The novel of 2001 was published in June 1968 by New American Library in the United States and by Hutchinson in Britain. Rendezvous with Rama was first published by Gollancz in June 1973. Open Library lists Hutchinson and Gollancz among the publishers of these two novels.

For collectors

Collect Arthur C. Clarke

Earliest first editionThe Sands of MarsSidgwick & Jackson, 1951 Most editions trackedDeep Range3 editions
First published by
Series
Reading guide

Arthur C. Clarke books in order

In publication order

  1. 1Prelude to Space1951
  2. 2The Sands of Mars1951
  3. 3Islands in the Sky1952
  4. 4Childhood's End1953
  5. 5Expedition to Earth1953
  6. 6Earthlight1955
  7. 7Reach for Tomorrow1956
  8. 8The City and the Stars1956
  9. 9Deep Range1957
  10. 10A Fall of Moondust1961
  11. 11Profiles of the Future1962
  12. 12Tales of Ten Worlds1962
Show all 36 books in order
  1. 13Dolphin Island1963
  2. 1420011968
  3. 15The Lost Worlds of 20011971
  4. 16The Wind from the Sun1972
  5. 17Rendezvous with Rama1973
  6. 18Nine Billion Names1974
  7. 19Imperial Earth1975
  8. 20The Fountains of Paradise1979
  9. 2120101982
  10. 22The Sentinel1983
  11. 23The Songs of Distant Earth1986
  12. 2420611987
  13. 25Cradle1988
  14. 26Rama II1989
  15. 27The Ghost from the Grand Banks1990
  16. 28The Garden of Rama1991
  17. 29Rama Revealed1993
  18. 30The Hammer of God1993
  19. 3130011997
  20. 32The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke2000
  21. 33The Light of Other Days2000
  22. 34Time's Eye a Time Odyssey2003
  23. 35Sunstorm2005
  24. 36The Last Theorem2008

By series

Space Odyssey 4 books
  1. 2001 1968
  2. 2010 1982
  3. 2061 1987
  4. 3001 1997
Rama 4 books
  1. Rendezvous with Rama 1973
  2. Rama II 1989
  3. The Garden of Rama 1991
  4. Rama Revealed 1993
A Time Odyssey 2 books
  1. Time's Eye a Time Odyssey 2003
  2. Sunstorm 2005
In order

First editions, year by year

  1. 1951The Sands of MarsSidgwick & Jackson
  2. 1952Islands in the SkySidgwick & Jackson
  3. 1953Childhood's EndBallantine Books
  4. 1955EarthlightBallantine Books
  5. 1956The City and the StarsMuller
  6. 1956Reach for TomorrowBallantine Books
  7. 1957Deep RangeHarcourt, Brace
  8. 1961A Fall of MoondustGollancz
  9. 1962Profiles of the FutureGollancz
  10. 1963Dolphin IslandGollancz
  11. 19682001Hutchinson
  12. 1971The Lost Worlds of 2001Signet
  13. 1972The Wind from the SunHarcourt Brace Jovanovich
  14. 1973Rendezvous with RamaGollancz
  15. 1974Nine Billion NamesRoc
  16. 1975Imperial EarthGollancz
  17. 1979The Fountains of ParadiseVictor Gollancz
  18. 19822010Ballantine Books
  19. 1983The SentinelBerkley
  20. 1986The Songs of Distant EarthGrafton
  21. 19872061, odyssey threeBallantine Books
  22. 1988CradleGollancz
  23. 1989Rama IIGollancz
  24. 1990The Ghost from the Grand BanksGollancz
  25. 1991The Garden of RamaGollancz
  26. 1993Rama RevealedGollancz
  27. 1993The Hammer of GodGollancz
  28. 19973001HarperCollins
  29. 2000The Light of Other DaysVoyager
  30. 2005SunstormGollancz
  31. 2008The Last TheoremHarperCollins
Books and editions

Which edition do you have?

The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke

Arthur C. Clarke · first published 2000

  1. Victor Gollancz2000 Hardback I own The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke, Victor Gollancz 2000 Log in to want this
  2. Tor2001 Hardback I own The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke, Tor 2001 Log in to want this
  3. Orion Publishing Group2001 Hardback I own Arthur C. Clarke: The Collected Stories, Orion Publishing Group 2001 Log in to want this
Questions collectors ask

Frequently asked questions

What order should I read Arthur C. Clarke's books in?

In publication order they begin with Prelude to Space (1951), then The Sands of Mars (1951) and Islands in the Sky (1952). Books in a series are listed in series order on this page.

What was Arthur C. Clarke's first book?

The earliest book we list is Prelude to Space, first published in 1951.

When was Arthur C. Clarke born?

Arthur C. Clarke was born in 1917 and died in 2008.

How many Arthur C. Clarke books does MyVolumes track?

We track 36 books by Arthur C. Clarke across 58 editions, 31 of them first editions.

Sources

Where these facts come from

Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 17 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.

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