Author Guide · Memoir, Fiction & Greek Myths
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Before university Stephen Fry was expelled from school, went on a spending spree with a stolen credit card and spent three months on remand; a scholarship to Queens’ College, Cambridge followed, and there, through Emma Thompson, he met Hugh Laurie. His own account of his life began with Moab Is My Washpot (1997), the first of three volumes of autobiography. The actor who played Jeeves and hosted QI has also written four novels, a guide to writing poetry, a journey through all fifty American states and, since 2017, four retellings of the Greek myths. This guide covers his 14 key books, in order, and where to begin.
By Lisanne Swart · 14 key books · 1991–2024 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Stephen Fry’s best-known books are his Greek myths series, starting with Mythos (2017), his first memoir Moab Is My Washpot (1997) and his novels The Liar (1991) and Making History (1996). Start with Mythos; for his own life, start with Moab Is My Washpot.
Where to Start with Stephen Fry
If you want the Greek myths retold
→ Mythos (2017) — the first of four books.
If you want his own story
→ Moab Is My Washpot (1997) — the first volume of his autobiography.
If you want his fiction
→ Making History (1996) — an award-winning alternate history.
If you want to write poetry
→ The Ode Less Travelled (2005).
14 Stephen Fry Books, in Order
The Liar
His first novel follows Adrian Healey from an English public school, where he longs for his classmate Hugo Cartwright, to Cambridge and then to Hungary on a mission for Professor Trefusis. Underneath runs a spy plot of codes and ciphers, including a 1970s update of the Enigma machine.
Paperweight
A collection of his articles, published the year after his first novel.
The Hippopotamus
Ted Wallace, a sour poet in his sixties who has just been sacked as a newspaper theatre critic, is hired by the terminally ill niece of an old friend to stay with the friend’s family and report back “anything unusual”. He becomes a spy without knowing what he is looking for.
Making History
His third novel, an alternate history. It won the Sidewise Award for Alternate History.
Moab Is My Washpot
The first volume of his autobiography, covering his early life. Fry grew up in Booton, Norfolk, and his school years ended in expulsions before he won a scholarship to Cambridge.
The Stars’ Tennis Balls
Fry’s take on The Count of Monte Cristo, a revenge story. In the United States it was published as Revenge.
The Ode Less Travelled
A guide to writing poetry, aimed, as the subtitle says, at unlocking the poet in the reader.
Stephen Fry in America
His travel book about the United States: as the subtitle says, he set out to see all fifty states.
The Fry Chronicles
The second volume of his autobiography, published thirteen years after Moab Is My Washpot.
More Fool Me
The third volume of his autobiography, subtitled A Memoir, following The Fry Chronicles.
Mythos
The first book of his Greek myths series: a retelling of the myths of ancient Greece, as the subtitle says. It was followed by three more books, ending with Odyssey (2024).
Heroes
The second book in the series turns from the gods to the mortal heroes of Greek myth and their quests and adventures, as the subtitle says.
Troy
The third book in the series retells the story of the Trojan War.
Odyssey
The fourth book in the Greek myths series, following on from Troy with the story of Odysseus.
In What Order to Read Stephen Fry
The Greek myths books are a series and are best read in order: Mythos (2017), Heroes (2018), Troy (2020) and Odyssey (2024). The three volumes of autobiography also run in sequence, from Moab Is My Washpot (1997) through The Fry Chronicles (2010) to More Fool Me (2014).
The four novels are not connected, so read them in any order.
A reading path
1. Mythos (2017)
2. Moab Is My Washpot (1997)
3. The Liar (1991)
4. Making History (1996)
5. Troy (2020)
Everything Else Stephen Fry Published
Beyond the 14 key books: 7 more, grouped by kind.
Open a group with the + to see every book in it.
Fry and Laurie scripts
4
4 books · 1990–1995
- 1990A Bit of Fry and Lauriewith Hugh Laurie
- 1991A Bit More Fry and Lauriewith Hugh Laurie
- 1992Three Bits of Fry and Lauriewith Hugh Laurie
- 1995Fry and Laurie Bit No. 4with Hugh Laurie
Other books
3
3 books · 2002–2021
- 2002Rescuing the Spectacled Bear: A Peruvian Diary
- 2004Stephen Fry’s Incomplete and Utter History of Classical Musicghostwritten by Tim Lihoreau
- 2021Fry’s Ties
The years · 1957–2025
Quick facts about Stephen Fry
- Known for
- Playing Jeeves to Hugh Laurie’s Bertie Wooster, the sketch show A Bit of Fry & Laurie, and hosting QI from 2003.
- 1957
- Born in Hampstead, London
- 1981
- Graduates from Queens’ College, Cambridge
- 1991
- The Liar, his first novel
- 2003
- Begins hosting QI
- 2017
- Mythos
- 2025
- Knighted
- Born
- 24 August 1957, Hampstead, London; grew up in Booton, Norfolk
- Education
- English at Queens’ College, Cambridge (BA 1981)
- Television
- A Bit of Fry & Laurie (1989–1995); Jeeves and Wooster (1990–1993); QI from 2003
- Film
- Oscar Wilde in Wilde (1997), Golden Globe nomination; directed Bright Young Things (2003)
- Audiobooks
- Narrated the British audiobooks of all seven Harry Potter novels
- Honours
- Knighted in the 2025 New Year Honours
The red mark is 2017: Mythos, the first of his four Greek myths books.
How Stephen Fry Writes: The Storyteller and the Confessor
Fry writes in two main modes. The first is autobiography: three volumes, from Moab Is My Washpot (1997) to More Fool Me (2014). The second is retelling: four books that take the Greek myths, from Mythos to Troy and Odyssey, and tell them again for a modern reader.
His novels mix comedy with plot. The Liar sets a coming-of-age story at school and Cambridge on top of a spy thriller about codes and ciphers; The Hippopotamus turns a sacked theatre critic into an unwitting spy; The Stars’ Tennis Balls borrows the structure of The Count of Monte Cristo.
He also likes to teach: The Ode Less Travelled is a handbook for writing poetry. His work on stage and screen connects to other writers on this site: he played Oscar Wilde in Wilde (1997), and his first film as director, Bright Young Things, was adapted from Evelyn Waugh’s Vile Bodies. See the Oscar Wilde guide.
Watch
Stephen Fry: The Waterstones Interview
Stephen Fry talks to Waterstones in 2017.
Frequently asked questions about Stephen Fry’s books
How many books has Stephen Fry written?
Twenty-one are listed on this page: the 14 key books, four Fry and Laurie script books written with Hugh Laurie, and three other books. They include four novels, three volumes of autobiography and four Greek myths books.
What are Stephen Fry’s books in order?
The Liar (1991), Paperweight (1992), The Hippopotamus (1994), Making History (1996), Moab Is My Washpot (1997), The Stars’ Tennis Balls (2000), The Ode Less Travelled (2005), Stephen Fry in America (2008), The Fry Chronicles (2010), More Fool Me (2014), Mythos (2017), Heroes (2018), Troy (2020) and Odyssey (2024).
Where should I start with Stephen Fry?
With Mythos (2017), the first of his Greek myths books. For his own life, start with Moab Is My Washpot (1997); for fiction, The Liar (1991) or Making History (1996).
What is Stephen Fry’s most famous book?
Today, Mythos (2017) and the Greek myths series that followed it. Of his earlier books, the memoir Moab Is My Washpot (1997) and the novel The Liar (1991) are the best known.
In what order should I read Stephen Fry’s Greek myths books?
Mythos (2017), Heroes (2018), Troy (2020), then Odyssey (2024).
How many autobiographies has Stephen Fry written?
Three: Moab Is My Washpot (1997), The Fry Chronicles (2010) and More Fool Me (2014).
How many novels has Stephen Fry written?
Four: The Liar (1991), The Hippopotamus (1994), Making History (1996) and The Stars’ Tennis Balls (2000), published in the US as Revenge. Making History won the Sidewise Award for Alternate History.
Did Stephen Fry narrate the Harry Potter audiobooks?
Yes, the British editions of all seven novels.
Is Stephen Fry a Sir?
Yes. He was knighted in the 2025 New Year Honours for services to mental health awareness, the environment and charity. He was born on 24 August 1957 and married Elliott Spencer in 2015.
Has Stephen Fry been involved in any controversy?
Not over his books. In April 2016 he was criticised for remarks that accused survivors of child sexual abuse of self-pity in a discussion of trigger warnings, and he apologised.
Footnotes
- Stephen Fry — Wikipedia
- Stephen Fry bibliography and filmography — Wikipedia
- Fry and Laurie: From Footlights to Fiction — The Millions, 2007
- Mythos (book) — Wikipedia
- Stephen Fry — FantasticFiction
Bibliography last verified 9 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
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