In the books by Bernard Cornwell, Richard Sharpe is the British hero that defied odds and won battles during the Napoleonic Wars. There are two ways to read the Sharpe books in order, which will allow you to witness his adventures through two different lenses.
If you’re looking for a way to read the Sharpe books in order, you likely don’t need to be sold on the writing of Bernard Cornwell which is rich in scope and detail, bringing history to life on the page. But this guide will help you decide which reading order is the best for you.
Jump to:
- Sharpe Books in Order of Publication
- Sharpe Books in Chronological Order
- Which Sharpe Reading Order Should You Choose?
- Sharpe Book to Screen Adaptations
- About Bernard Cornwell
Sharpe Books in Order of Publication
The first way to read the Sharpe books in order may be controversial, because this is not the order Bernard Cornwell recommends. This is, of course, the original publication order.
However, there are many benefits to reading the books in this order. Not only will you get to experience Cornwell’s evolution as an author, but you will also get to see the progression of his character Sharpe as Cornwell began writing alongside the TV adaptation.
Each book reaches a conclusion of the events or battle Cornwell is depicting, whether historically accurate or fictional. So, there will be no unpleasant conclusion at the end of each book that necessitates reading the next chronological book.
Least of all, this is the order in which fans were first introduced to Sharpe, which led to the successful adaptation and continuation of the series. Following the TV adaptation Cornwell has said his subsequent books were almost like a second Sharpe series. This supports the decision to read the books in order of original publication.
- Sharpe’s Eagle (1981)
- Sharpe’s Gold (1981)
- Sharpe’s Company (1982)
- Sharpe’s Sword (1983)
- Sharpe’s Enemy (1984)
- Sharpe’s Honor (1985)
- Sharpe’s Regiment (1986)
- Sharpe’s Siege (1987)
- Sharpe’s Rifles (1988)
- Sharpe’s Revenge (1989)
- Sharpe’s Waterloo (1990)
- Sharpe’s Devil (1992)
- Sharpe’s Christmas & Sharpe’s Ransom (1994) (Short Stories)
- Sharpe’s Battle (1995)
- Sharpe’s Tiger (1997)
- Sharpe’s Triumph (1998)
- Sharpe’s Skirmish (1999) (Out of Print – Short Story)
- Sharpe’s Fortress (1999)
- Sharpe’s Trafalgar (2000)
- Sharpe’s Prey (2001)
- Sharpe’s Havoc (2003)
- Sharpe’s Escape (2004)
- Sharpe’s Fury (2006)
- Sharpe’s Assassin (2021)
- Sharpe’s Command (2024)
Sharpe Books in Chronological Order
Now, the chronological order is how Bernard Cornwell recommends fans read his Sharpe books.
If you prefer to carefully slot the events you are reading about into a timeline, then this order might be best for you. However, typically a chronological order is only recommended to seasoned veterans of a series who already have a thorough understanding of the character and series.
In using the chronological order to read the books for your first time, there may be subtle inconsistencies that become apparent. For example, Cornwell’s description of the main character changed to compliment Sean Bean’s portrayal on TV. As well, in books that were published later but chronologically come first, there may be references to characters or events that are then not mentioned again.
- Sharpe’s Tiger – 1799
- Sharpe’s Triumph – 1803
- Sharpe’s Fortress – 1803
- Sharpe’s Trafalgar – 1805
- Sharpe’s Prey – 1807
- Sharpe’s Rifles – 1809
- Sharpe’s Havoc – 1809
- Sharpe’s Eagle – 1809
- Sharpe’s Gold – 1810
- Sharpe’s Escape – 1810
- Sharpe’s Fury – 1811
- Sharpe’s Battle – 1811
- Sharpe’s Company – 1812
- Sharpe’s Sword – 1812
- Sharpe’s Command – 1812
- Sharpe’s Skirmish – 1812 (Out of Print – Short Story)
- Sharpe’s Enemy – 1812
- Sharpe’s Honor – 1813
- Sharpe’s Regiment – 1813
- Sharpe’s Christmas – 1813 (Short Story)
- Sharpe’s Siege – 1814
- Sharpe’s Revenge – 1814
- Sharpe’s Waterloo – 1815
- Sharpe’s Assassin – 1815
- Sharpe’s Ransom – 1816 (Short Story in Sharpe’s Christmas)
- Sharpe’s Devil – 1820-1821
Which Sharpe Reading Order Should You Choose?
While Bernard Cornwell recommends chronological order, it depends on what element in a series you find most interesting. If you are more focused on plot, then the chronological order of Richard Sharpe’s life and his participation in battles may be preferable. However, if character development and progression is what determines a five-star read for you, then the original publication order might be your best option.
That’s because Cornwell never expected for the Sharpe series to stretch to 25 books.
During the last 40 years, following the publication of the original Sharpe books and the subsequent success of the TV adaptation, Cornwell has gone back and added more details to Sharpe’s life. Cornwell has filled in gaps left from previous books with Sharpe participating in more battles all over.
But in writing interval books, there have obviously been subtle references or characters added, that aren’t in the previously published books. This creates small inconsistencies in the series.
Cornwell even adapted his depiction of Sharpe to allow for Sean Bean’s portrayal to better fit within the canon. While it makes a strange sort of sense for physical descriptions to lessen as a series progresses, it could potentially be jarring to begin a series with little to no physical description, then have the physical description appear in the eighth book.
But before you make up your mind about which reading order is best for you, let’s take a little bit of a closer look at each one.
Sharpe Book to Screen Adaptations
There is absolutely a successful adaption of Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe books. The television adaptation is partially to thank for the continuation and popularity of the book series.
Sean Bean played the role of Richard Sharpe in the TV adaptation Sharpe from 1993 to 1997. He then returned for two reprisals in 2006 and 2008. Almost every episode is a direction adaptation, albeit with obvious differences, of a Cornwell novel.
It was following the success of the adaptation that Cornwell decided to continue writing more Sharpe books. This meant he had to return to earlier eras of Sharpe’s life when writing. We’ll get into this below as this leads to the different reading orders.
Cornwell even changed how he described Sharpe in his books to allow the book canon and the show canon to, almost, coexist peacefully. In the first books, Sharpe is described as dark-haired, tall, and hailing from London. Contrarily, Bean is blond, short, and has a distinct Sheffield accent.
In order to allow fans of the show to read his books and picture Sharpe as they please, Cornwell stopped mentioning hair colour. He also included an explanation that Sharpe partially grew up in Yorkshire after his London beginnings.
About Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell is one of the best authors in the historical fiction genre and the character Richard Sharpe is how he got his debut.
After Cornwell moved to America, he was unable to obtain a working visa. However, with 10 years of journalism under his belt, he felt adequately equipped to begin writing. Thankfully writing didn’t require a visa.
The result of him sitting down to write his first book was Sharpe’s Eagle, which was published in 1981.
Growing up Cornwell particularly enjoyed reading C.S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower series. He also enjoyed Dudley Pope, Alexander Kent, and Patrick O’Brian, and realized the similarities between their work. The inspiration is apparent in his Sharpe series, which depicts the adventures and battles of a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars.
Forty years after his debut, Cornwell never imagined he would write, or still be writing, so many Sharpe books. On his website he says he hoped there might be 10 or 11.
Since that first Sharpe book, Cornwell has written more than 60 books, 25 of which depict the life of Richard Sharpe. Collectively, his books have sold more than 25 million copies. If you would like to learn more, you can read this article about the Bernard Cornwell books in order.
Looking for more books in order?
If you want more authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Books in Order index.