Book Series Guide

Pearl S. Buck

Author guide

Pearl S. Buck Books in Order

Pearl Comfort Sydenstricker Buck (1892–1973) was an American writer who spent much of her childhood and early adulthood in China. Her fiction, memoirs, biographies, essays, translations, children's books, and stories often explored cultural identity, East-West relations, family, gender, religion, and social justice. Her novel The Good Earth won the Pulitzer Prize, and in 1938 she became the first American woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.

literary fictionhistorical fictionmemoirbiographyessaysshort storiespoetrychildren's literaturetranslationdrama

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Cover of The Good Earth

The Good Earth

Best-known novel and the first volume of the House of Earth trilogy.

Cover of East Wind: West Wind

East Wind: West Wind

Buck's first published novel and a strong introduction to her cross-cultural fiction.

Cover of My Several Worlds

My Several Worlds

Best starting point for her autobiographical perspective and life across China and the United States.

Read in order

Books by series

trilogy · complete

House of Earth

A trilogy following several generations of the Wang family in China.

Series guide →
  1. 1 Cover of The Good Earth
    The Good Earth

    Book 1 · novel · 1931

    Amazon ↗
  2. 2 Cover of Sons
    Sons

    Book 2 · novel · 1932

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  3. 3 Cover of A House Divided
    A House Divided

    Book 3 · novel · 1935

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Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Novels (50)
  1. Cover of East Wind: West Wind
    East Wind: West Wind

    novel · 1930

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  2. Cover of The Mother
    The Mother

    novel · 1933

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  3. Cover of This Proud Heart
    This Proud Heart

    novel · 1938

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  4. The Patriot

    novel · 1939

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  5. Cover of Other Gods
    Other Gods

    novel · 1940

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  6. China Sky

    novel · 1941

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  7. China Flight

    novel · 1942

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  8. Cover of Dragon Seed
    Dragon Seed

    novel · 1942

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  9. The Promise

    novel · 1943

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  10. The Townsman

    novel · 1945

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  11. Cover of Portrait of a Marriage
    Portrait of a Marriage

    novel · 1945

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  12. Cover of Pavilion of Women
    Pavilion of Women

    novel · 1946

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  13. Cover of The Angry Wife
    The Angry Wife

    novel · 1947

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  14. Cover of Peony
    Peony

    novel · 1948

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  15. The Bondmaid

    novel · 1949

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  16. Cover of Kinfolk
    Kinfolk

    novel · 1949

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  17. The Long Love

    novel · 1949

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  18. God's Men

    novel · 1951

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  19. Bright Procession

    novel · 1952

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  20. Cover of The Hidden Flower
    The Hidden Flower

    novel · 1952

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  21. Cover of Come, My Beloved
    Come, My Beloved

    novel · 1953

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  22. Voices in the House

    novel · 1953

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  23. Cover of Imperial Woman
    Imperial Woman

    novel · 1956

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  24. Cover of Letter from Peking
    Letter from Peking

    novel · 1957

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  25. Command the Morning

    novel · 1959

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  26. Satan Never Sleeps

    novel · 1962

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  27. Cover of The Living Reed
    The Living Reed

    novel · 1963

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  28. Cover of Death in the Castle
    Death in the Castle

    novel · 1965

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  29. Cover of The Time Is Noon
    The Time Is Noon

    novel · 1966

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  30. Cover of The New Year
    The New Year

    novel · 1968

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  31. Cover of The Three Daughters of Madame Liang
    The Three Daughters of Madame Liang

    novel · 1969

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  32. Cover of Mandala
    Mandala

    novel · 1970

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  33. The Goddess Abides

    novel · 1972

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  34. Cover of All Under Heaven
    All Under Heaven

    novel · 1973

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  35. The Rainbow

    novel · 1974

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  36. Cover of The Eternal Wonder
    The Eternal Wonder

    novel · 2013

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  37. Talk About Russia

    nonfiction · 1945

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  38. Cover of Tell the People
    Tell the People

    nonfiction · 1945

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  39. How It Happens

    nonfiction · 1947

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  40. Friend to Friend

    nonfiction · 1958

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  41. The Delights of Learning

    nonfiction · 1960

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  42. Children for Adoption

    nonfiction · 1964

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  43. The Joy of Children

    nonfiction · 1964

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  44. The Gifts They Bring: Our Debt to the Mentally Retarded

    nonfiction · 1965

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  45. The People of Japan

    nonfiction · 1966

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  46. To My Daughters, With Love

    nonfiction · 1967

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  47. China as I See It

    nonfiction · 1970

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  48. Pearl S. Buck's America

    nonfiction · 1971

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  49. The Story Bible

    nonfiction · 1971

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  50. Cover of China Past and Present
    China Past and Present

    nonfiction · 1972

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Nonfiction (7)
  1. The Exile

    biography · 1936

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  2. Fighting Angel

    biography · 1936

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  3. Cover of The Child Who Never Grew
    The Child Who Never Grew

    memoir · 1950

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  4. Cover of My Several Worlds
    My Several Worlds

    autobiography · 1954

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  5. Cover of A Bridge for Passing
    A Bridge for Passing

    memoir · 1961

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  6. The Kennedy Women

    biography · 1970

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  7. Pearl S. Buck's Oriental Cookbook

    cookbook · 1972

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Short fiction (8)
  1. Today and Forever

    short-story collection · 1941

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  2. Far and Near

    short-story collection · 1947

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  3. Fourteen Stories

    short-story collection · 1961

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  4. Once Upon a Christmas

    short-story collection · 1972

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  5. East and West

    short-story collection · 1975

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  6. Secrets of the Heart

    short-story collection · 1976

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Essays and speeches (7)
  1. Is There a Case for Foreign Missions?

    pamphlet · 1932

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  2. The Chinese Novel

    lecture · 1939

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  3. Cover of Of Men and Women
    Of Men and Women

    essays · 1941

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  4. American Unity and Asia

    essays · 1942

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  5. China in Black and White

    essays · 1945

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  6. American Argument

    essays · 1949

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  7. For Spacious Skies

    essays · 1966

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Children's books (17)
  1. The Young Revolutionist

    children's book · 1932

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  2. Cover of The Big Wave
    The Big Wave

    children's novel · 1948

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  3. The Chinese Children Next Door

    children's book · 1942

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  4. Cover of The Water-Buffalo Children
    The Water-Buffalo Children

    children's book · 1943

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  5. Cover of The Dragon Fish
    The Dragon Fish

    children's book · 1944

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  6. Yu Lan: Flying Boy of China

    children's book · 1945

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  7. One Bright Day

    children's book · 1950

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  8. The Man Who Changed China: The Story of Sun Yat-sen

    children's biography · 1953

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  9. Johnny Jack and His Beginnings

    children's book · 1954

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  10. The Beech Tree

    children's book · 1954

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  11. The Christmas Miniature

    children's book · 1957

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  12. The Christmas Ghost

    children's book · 1960

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  13. Welcome Child

    children's book · 1963

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  14. The Big Fight

    children's book · 1964

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  15. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

    children's book · 1966

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  16. The Chinese Storyteller

    children's book · 1971

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  17. Mrs. Starling's Problem

    children's book · 1973

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Poetry (1)
  1. Worlds of Love

    poetry collection · 1974

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Other (1)
  1. Cover of All Men Are Brothers
    All Men Are Brothers

    translation · 1933

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