In Search of Lost Time Books in Order
The In Search of Lost Time series is 7 books by Marcel Proust, published 1913 to 1927. Start with Swann's Way (1913). We have catalogued 5 of them so far, with 11 editions between them; the rest are being added.
Includes Swann's Way
- Books
- 7
- 5 of 7 catalogued so far
- Editions tracked
- 11
- Numbers
- 1 to 6
- Published
- 1913 to 1927
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Reading order
The In Search of Lost Time books in the order they were published, with the year each first appeared.
- 1Swann's WayThe narrator recalls his childhood holidays in Combray, set off by the taste of a madeleine, and the story of Charles Swann's jealous love for Odette.Buy a copy: eBay1913
- 2Within a Budding GroveAs an adolescent the narrator spends a summer at the seaside resort of Balbec, where he falls for a band of girls that includes Albertine.Buy a copy: eBay1919
- 3The Guermantes WayThe narrator works his way into the aristocratic world of the Guermantes family while his grandmother falls ill and dies.Buy a copy: eBay1920
- 4Sodom and GomorrahThe narrator witnesses the Baron de Charlus with the tailor Jupien, then returns to Balbec with Albertine as his jealous suspicions of her grow.Buy a copy: eBay1921
- 5The CaptiveBack in Paris the narrator keeps Albertine in his flat almost as a prisoner, his jealousy growing alongside his boredom.Buy a copy: eBay1923
- 6The Sweet Cheat GoneWith Albertine gone from his life, the narrator wrestles with grief and forgetting and keeps probing the secrets of her past.Buy a copy: eBay1925
- 7Time RegainedDuring the First World War and after, the narrator finds his old circle in Paris transformed by age and loss, and reflects on time and art.Buy a copy: eBay1927
Editions we track
| No. | Cover | Book | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swann's Way First | 1913 | |
| 1 | Swann's Way | 1922 | |
| 2 | Within a Budding Grove | 1924 | |
| 2 | Within a Budding Grove | 1924 | |
| 3 | The Guermantes Way | 1925 | |
| 4 | Cities of the Plain | 1927 | |
| 4 | Cities of the Plain | 1927 | |
| 4 | Cities of the Plain | 1929 | |
| 3 | The Guermantes Way | 1930 | |
| 6 | The Sweet Cheat Gone | 1930 | |
| 6 | The Sweet Cheat Gone | 1930 |
About In Search of Lost Time
In Search of Lost Time (A la recherche du temps perdu) is Marcel Proust's novel of memory, society and art, issued in 7 volumes between 1913 and 1927. Grasset published the first volume in 1913 at Proust's own expense; Gallimard published the rest, and the last three appeared after his death in 1922. C. K. Scott Moncrieff's English translation, under the overall title Remembrance of Things Past, covered the first six volumes from 1922, with Stephen Hudson translating Time Regained in 1931. Later translations use different volume titles, such as The Prisoner for The Captive and The Fugitive or Albertine Gone for The Sweet Cheat Gone.
Frequently asked questions
What order should I read the In Search of Lost Time books in?
Start with Swann's Way (1913), then Within a Budding Grove and The Guermantes Way. The full list on this page gives every book in order with its first edition year.
How many In Search of Lost Time books are there?
There are 7 books in the In Search of Lost Time series, from 1913 to 1927. We have catalogued 5 of them so far.
What is the first In Search of Lost Time book?
Swann's Way, first published in 1913, is the first book in the In Search of Lost Time series.
Where these facts come from
- In Search of Lost Time, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- In Search of Lost Time (Q464928), Wikidata (wikidata.org)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 2 November 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.
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