John le Carre
Krimidoedel, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · licence

CARRE, JOHN LE, 1931 to 2020

John le Carre

John le Carré (1931-2020) was the pen name of David Cornwell, a former British intelligence officer who wrote The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.

Books
20
Editions tracked
26
First editions
20
Nationality
Ireland, United Kingdom

WikidataOpen LibrarySearch within John le Carre

About John le Carre

John le Carré (1931-2020) was the pen name of David John Moore Cornwell, a British former intelligence officer who wrote Cold War espionage fiction, including The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and creator of George Smiley. He was born in Poole, Dorset, on 19 October 1931 and died in Truro, Cornwall,, on 12 December 2020. Late in life he also took Irish citizenship.

Educated at Sherborne, the University of Bern and Lincoln College, Oxford, he worked for MI5 from 1958 and moved to MI6 in 1960, serving under diplomatic cover in Bonn and Hamburg. His first novel, Call for the Dead (Gollancz, 1961), introduced Smiley, and was followed by A Murder of Quality (1962). The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (Gollancz, September 1963) became an international bestseller, won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger and later an Edgar, and he left the service in 1964, after Kim Philby's betrayal exposed British agents. It was filmed in 1965 with Richard Burton.

The Karla trilogy, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Hodder & Stoughton, 1974), The Honourable Schoolboy (1977) and Smiley's People (1979), brought Smiley back. Later novels include The Little Drummer Girl (1983), The Night Manager (1993), The Constant Gardener (Hodder & Stoughton, January 2001) and A Legacy of Spies (2017). He received the CWA Diamond Dagger in 1988.

For collectors, the early Gollancz books are the most prized: Call for the Dead (1961), as the first appearance of Smiley, and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963), his breakthrough. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Hodder & Stoughton, 1974) is the key title of his middle period.

For collectors

Collect John le Carre

Earliest first editionCall for the DeadGollancz, 1961 Most editions trackedA Perfect Spy2 editions
First published by
Series
Reading guide

John le Carre books in order

In publication order

  1. 1Call for the Dead1961
  2. 2A Murder of Quality1962
  3. 3The Spy Who Came in from the Cold1963
  4. 4The Looking Glass War1965
  5. 5A Small Town in Germany1968
  6. 6The Naive and Sentimental Lover1971
  7. 7Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy1974
  8. 8The Honourable Schoolboy1977
  9. 9Smiley's People1979
  10. 10The Little Drummer Girl1983
  11. 11A Perfect Spy1986
  12. 12The Russia House1987
Show all 20 books in order
  1. 13The Secret Pilgrim1990
  2. 14The Night Manager1993
  3. 15Our Game1995
  4. 16The Tailor of Panama1996
  5. 17Single & Single1999
  6. 18The Constant Gardener2000
  7. 19Absolute Friends2003
  8. 20The Mission Song2006

By series

George Smiley series 3 books
  1. Call for the Dead 1961
  2. A Murder of Quality 1962
  3. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 1974
In order

First editions, year by year

  1. 1961Call for the DeadGollancz
  2. 1962A Murder of QualityGollancz
  3. 1963The Spy Who Came in from the ColdVictor Gollancz
  4. 1965The Looking Glass WarHeinemann
  5. 1968A Small Town in GermanyHeinemann
  6. 1971The Naive and Sentimental LoverHodder & Stoughton
  7. 1974Tinker Tailor Soldier SpyHodder & Stoughton
  8. 1977The Honourable SchoolboyHodder & Stoughton
  9. 1979Smiley's PeopleHodder & Stoughton
  10. 1983The Little Drummer GirlHodder & Stoughton
  11. 1986A Perfect SpyHodder & Stoughton
  12. 1987The Russia HouseCoronet
  13. 1990The Secret PilgrimLondon Guild
  14. 1993The Night ManagerHodder & Stoughton
  15. 1995Our GameHodder & Stoughton
  16. 1996The Tailor of PanamaHodder & Stoughton
  17. 1999Single & SingleHodder & Stoughton
  18. 2000Constant Gardener HeaderHodder & Stoughton
  19. 2003Absolute FriendsLittle, Brown
  20. 2006The Mission SongHodder & Stoughton
Books and editions

Which edition do you have?

Questions collectors ask

Frequently asked questions

What order should I read John le Carre's books in?

In publication order they begin with Call for the Dead (1961), then A Murder of Quality (1962) and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963). Books in a series are listed in series order on this page.

What was John le Carre's first book?

The earliest book we list is Call for the Dead, first published in 1961.

When was John le Carre born?

John le Carre was born in 1931 and died in 2020.

How many John le Carre books does MyVolumes track?

We track 20 books by John le Carre across 26 editions, 20 of them first editions.

How do I know if my John le Carre book is a first edition?

Open the book's page here and compare the publisher, place, date and the issue points we list for the first printing with your copy's title page and copyright page.

Sources

Where these facts come from

Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 17 October 2026.

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