Reading Order
D.H. LawrenceD.H. Lawrence's Novels Reading Order
D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover (1928) is the most notorious novel in English literature for the better part of half a century — Connie Chatterley and the gamekeeper Oliver Mellors, the explicit sexual descriptions that led to prosecution under the Obscene Publications Act in both Britain and America, and the acquittal of Penguin Books in the 1960 trial that is itself a landmark in the history of censorship. Lawrence wrote three versions of the novel in 1926–1928 (John Thomas and Lady Jane is the second version); the third and final version was privately printed in Florence in 1928 and not legally published in Britain until the 1960 trial. Lawrence died of tuberculosis in 1930, two years after the book's first publication. Lady Chatterley's Lover is Lawrence's last completed novel; Sons and Lovers (1913) and Women in Love (1920) are his most fully achieved earlier works.
Where to start
Lady Chatterley's Lover
Complete D.H. Lawrence Book List
- 1Buy
Lady Chatterley's Lover
D.H. Lawrence·1928·The main novel — Connie Chatterley and Mellors, the three versions of which this is the final and most explicit, Lawrence's last completed novel. - 2Buy
Sons and Lovers
D.H. Lawrence·1913·The autobiographical predecessor — Paul Morel and his mother Gertrude in the Nottinghamshire coalfields, Lawrence's most directly personal novel and the foundation of his body of work. - 3Buy
Women in Love
D.H. Lawrence·1920·The companion masterwork — Ursula and Birkin, Gudrun and Gerald, the same themes of sexual power and class in a more modernist and intellectually dense form. - 4Buy
The Rainbow
D.H. Lawrence·1915·The direct predecessor to Women in Love — three generations of the Brangwen family, the earlier history of the characters who appear in Women in Love, itself suppressed by the authorities on publication. - 5Buy
John Thomas and Lady Jane
D.H. Lawrence·1972·The second version of the same novel — published posthumously, showing how Lawrence developed the story across three drafts, of interest to readers who want the full creative process.
D.H. Lawrence — Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Lady Chatterley's Lover so controversial?
Because it contained detailed and explicit descriptions of sexual intercourse and used words (most famously 'fuck' and 'cunt') that had not appeared in a book intended for general publication. The 1960 Penguin trial in Britain, which found the book not obscene, was a watershed moment in the history of literary censorship.
Which D.H. Lawrence novel should I read first?
Sons and Lovers is the most accessible and most autobiographical starting point. Women in Love is the most fully achieved and most widely taught. Lady Chatterley's Lover is the most famous but benefits from knowing Lawrence's world through the earlier novels first.
What is the 1960 Penguin trial?
Penguin Books published an unexpurgated paperback edition of Lady Chatterley's Lover in 1960 and was prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act 1959. The trial featured expert witnesses including E.M. Forster and Rebecca West; the jury acquitted Penguin in November 1960, opening the way for the novel's unrestricted publication in Britain.
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