Modern Library Chronicles Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| California |
1980 |
Buy |
| Communism |
1994 |
Buy |
| London |
1995 |
Buy |
| The Balkans |
2000 |
Buy |
| The German Empire |
2000 |
Buy |
| The Catholic Church |
2001 |
Buy |
| Peoples and Empires |
2001 |
Buy |
| Hitler and the Holocaust |
2001 |
Buy |
| Law in America |
2002 |
Buy |
| The American Revolution |
2002 |
Buy |
| Inventing Japan |
2003 |
Buy |
| The Americas |
2003 |
Buy |
| The Boys’ Crusade |
2003 |
Buy |
| The Reformation |
2003 |
Buy |
| The Company |
2003 |
Buy |
| The Age of Shakespeare |
2004 |
Buy |
| The Age of Napoleon |
2004 |
Buy |
| Infinite Ascent |
2004 |
Buy |
| Evolution |
2004 |
Buy |
| Nazism and War |
2004 |
Buy |
| The City |
2005 |
Buy |
| A Short History of Medicine |
2006 |
Buy |
| Storm from the East |
2006 |
Buy |
| Baseball |
2006 |
Buy |
| The Hellenistic Age |
2007 |
Buy |
| Prehistory |
2007 |
Buy |
| The Renaissance |
2007 |
Buy |
| Islam |
2007 |
Buy |
| The Christian World |
2008 |
Buy |
| Dangerous Games |
2008 |
Buy |
| The Romantic Revolution |
2010 |
Buy |
| The Korean War |
2010 |
Buy |
Non-Fiction#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Japanese Tattoo |
1980 |
Buy |
| Behind the Mask / A Japanese Mirror |
1984 |
Buy |
| God’s Dust |
1989 |
Buy |
| The Wages of Guilt |
1994 |
Buy |
| The Missionary And The Libertine |
1996 |
Buy |
| Inventing Japan |
1999 |
Buy |
| Voltaire’s Coconuts / Anglomania In Europe |
1999 |
Buy |
| Bad Elements |
2001 |
Buy |
| Inventing Japan, 1853-1964 |
2003 |
Buy |
| Occidentalism |
2004 |
Buy |
| Conversations with John Schlesinger |
2006 |
Buy |
| Murder in Amsterdam |
2006 |
Buy |
| Taming the Gods |
2010 |
Buy |
| Year Zero |
2013 |
Buy |
| Theater of Cruelty |
2014 |
Buy |
| Their Promised Land |
2016 |
Buy |
| A Tokyo Romance |
2018 |
Buy |
| The Churchill Complex |
2020 |
Buy |
| The Collaborators |
2023 |
Buy |
| Spinoza: Freedom’s Messiah |
2024 |
Buy |
Standalone Novels#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Playing the Game |
1991 |
Buy |
| The China Lover |
2008 |
Buy |
Ian Buruma was born in the Netherlands in 1951 and spent years living in Japan, which became his primary subject. His early books, including Behind the Mask (1984) and God’s Dust (1989), explored Japanese culture and Asian identity. He later broadened his scope to cover European history, nationalism, and the legacy of World War II in works like The Wages of Guilt (1994) and Year Zero (2013).
Buruma has also written two novels and served as editor of The New York Review of Books from 2017 to 2018. His non-fiction blends journalism, cultural criticism, and personal memoir, making him one of the most respected writers on the subject of how different civilizations understand each other.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books has Ian Buruma written?
Ian Buruma has written 54 books across three series.
What was Ian Buruma's first book?
Ian Buruma’s first book is California, published in 1980.
What subjects does Ian Buruma write about most often?
Buruma writes primarily about Japan, Asia, and the relationship between East and West. His books cover topics from Japanese theater and tattoo culture to European guilt after World War II and the politics of immigration.