Author Guide · Narrative Nonfiction
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In 1996 Peter Hessler arrived in Fuling, a small city on the Yangtze River, as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English literature. He spent two years there, learning Chinese and becoming part of the town. River Town became a classic. Over the following decades he wrote about China's boom, drove across the country, moved to Cairo during the Arab Spring, and in 2019 returned to Sichuan to teach again, this time with his twin daughters in a Chinese school. This guide covers all six of his books in order, and where to start.
By Lisanne Swart · 6 books · Narrative nonfiction · 2001–2024 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Peter Hessler has published six books: three about China in the boom years, River Town (2001), Oracle Bones (2006) and Country Driving (2010); a collection, Strange Stones (2013); The Buried (2019), about Egypt; and Other Rivers (2024), about returning to teach in China.
Where to Start with Peter Hessler
If you want the famous one
→ River Town (2001).
If you want the most recent
→ Other Rivers (2024).
If you want Egypt
→ The Buried (2019).
All 6 Peter Hessler Books, in Order
River Town
Two years teaching English literature at a college in Fuling, Sichuan, as a Peace Corps volunteer, as China began to change around him.
Oracle Bones
China in the early 2000s, through a handful of former students and acquaintances, interwoven with the history of China's ancient writing. It was a National Book Award finalist.
Country Driving
Driving across rural China, life in a village outside Beijing, and the building of a factory town in Zhejiang.
Strange Stones
A collection of his magazine pieces from China, Japan, Nepal and the United States.
The Buried
Five years in Cairo after the Arab Spring, between archaeology and politics, through a garbage collector, a translator and other Egyptians.
Other Rivers
In 2019 Hessler returned to Sichuan to teach at a university, and his daughters attended a Chinese school, as the pandemic began and China changed again.
How Many Books Did Peter Hessler Write?
Six books between 2001 and 2024.
- China — River Town, Oracle Bones, Country Driving and Other Rivers. Read the entries →
- Egypt — The Buried (2019). Read the entries →
- Collection — Strange Stones (2013). Read the entries →
In What Order to Read Peter Hessler
His China books read best in order, and Other Rivers deliberately returns to the setting of River Town, twenty-three years later.
A reading path
1. River Town (2001)
2. Other Rivers (2024)
3. Country Driving (2010)
4. Oracle Bones (2006)
Quick facts about Peter Hessler
- Peace Corps
- Fuling, China, 1996–1998
- Works for
- The New Yorker, staff writer
- Honours
- MacArthur Fellowship (2011)
- Family
- Married to the writer Leslie T. Chang
- Books
- 6, from 2001 to 2024
How Peter Hessler Writes: Living There
Hessler lives for years in the places he writes about, learns the language and follows the same people for a long time, which lets him show change through individual lives.
He writes in a calm, observant voice, with humour, and is careful to let ordinary people's views complicate any simple story about China or Egypt.
Frequently asked questions about Peter Hessler's books
How many books has Peter Hessler written?
Peter Hessler has published six books, from River Town (2001) to Other Rivers (2024).
What is River Town about?
River Town (2001) describes Hessler's two years teaching in Fuling, a small city on the Yangtze, as a Peace Corps volunteer.
What is Other Rivers about?
Other Rivers (2024) describes his return to Sichuan in 2019 to teach again, with his daughters in a Chinese school.
Footnotes
Bibliography last verified 1 October 2026.
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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