Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | All the President’s Men | 1974 | Bob Woodward | Buy |
| 2 | The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court | 1979 | Bob Woodward | Buy |
| 3 | Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi | 1984 | Bob Woodward | Buy |
| 4 | Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA, 1981-1987 | 1987 | Bob Woodward | Buy |
| 5 | The Commanders | 1991 | Bob Woodward | Buy |
| 6 | The Man Who Would Be President: Dan Quayle | 1992 | Bob Woodward | Buy |
| 7 | The Agenda: Inside the Clinton White House | 1994 | Bob Woodward | Buy |
| 8 | The Choice: How Bill Clinton Won | 1996 | Bob Woodward | Buy |
| 9 | Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate | 1999 | Bob Woodward | Buy |
| 10 | Maestro: Greenspan’s Fed and the American Boom | 2000 | Bob Woodward | Buy |
| 11 | The Secret Man | 2005 | Bob Woodward | Buy |
| 12 | Obama’s Wars | 2011 | Bob Woodward | Buy |
| 13 | The Price of Politics | 2012 | Bob Woodward | Buy |
| 14 | The Final Days | 2013 | Bob Woodward | Buy |
| 15 | The Last of the President’s Men | 2015 | Bob Woodward | Buy |
| 16 | Fear: Trump in the White House | 2018 | Bob Woodward | Buy |
| 17 | Rage | 2020 | Bob Woodward | Buy |
| 18 | Peril | 2021 | Bob Woodward | Buy |
| 19 | The Justices Behind Roe V. Wade: The Inside Story, Adapted from The Brethren | 2021 | Bob Woodward | Buy |
| 20 | The Trump Tapes: Bob Woodward’s Twenty Interviews with President Donald Trump | 2023 | Bob Woodward | Buy |
| 21 | War | 2024 | Bob Woodward | Buy |
| 22 | Parts ofThe Brethren: Inside the Supreme Courtwere adapted intoThe Justices Behind Roe V. Wade: The Inside Story. | - | Bob Woodward | N/A |
This collection of non-fiction books by Bob Woodward spans fifty years of American political journalism. Beginning with All the President’s Men in 1974 and continuing through War in 2024, these books document the inner workings of presidential administrations, government institutions, and the people who run them.
Woodward’s range extends beyond the White House. The Brethren (1979) gave an unprecedented look inside the Supreme Court, Wired (1984) profiled the life of comedian John Belushi, Veil (1987) investigated the CIA’s covert operations, and Maestro (2000) examined Alan Greenspan’s Federal Reserve. But the presidency remains his primary subject, with books on Clinton (The Agenda, The Choice), Obama (Obama’s Wars), Trump (Fear, Rage, The Trump Tapes), and the transition between administrations (Peril).
The books can be read independently based on which subject or president interests you. They do not need to be read in order, though reading them chronologically gives a sense of how American political power has shifted over the decades. Woodward’s most recent book, War (2024), continues his practice of reporting on the sitting president using deep sourcing within the government.