Georges Simenon - Collected Works, incl. Inspector Maigret (132 b...

* Georges Simenon - Collected Works, incl. Inspector Maigret (132 books)

GEORGES SIMENON (1903–1989) was a Belgian writer who created the fictional detective Jules Maigret . One of the most prolific and widely-read authors of the 20th century, he published around 400 novels (including 192 under his own name), 21 volumes of memoirs and many short stories, selling over 500 million copies. Writing with a deceptively sparse vocabulary, Simenon possessed an unparalleled ability to conjure thick, atmospheric tension and complex psychological depth. While his fiction is deeply rooted in mid-century European and American landscapes, its universal themes of isolation, guilt, and the desire for escape have allowed his work to transcend linguistic boundaries. His massive bibliography is traditionally divided into distinct categories, spanning legendary detective fiction, uncompromising standalone psychological thrillers, and introspective personal reflections.

The cornerstone of Simenon’s global fame is his atmospheric detective fiction and classic whodunits featuring the pipe-smoking, empathetic Inspector Jules Maigret . Simenon introduced the world to this revolutionary character in novels like PIETR THE LATVIAN (1931), establishing a 75-novel saga that concluded decades later with MAIGRET AND MONSIEUR CHARLES (1972). Unlike typical whodunits of the golden age, Maigret mysteries focus less on forensic clues and more on the psychological geography of the crime. All the titles in the numbered series have been issued by Penguin Books in new, lively English translations by acclaimed contemporary translators (2003-2020), and are included here. Alongside these novels, Simenon penned dozens of short stories tracking the detective's cases, which have been compiled in English volumes such as THE NEW INVESTIGATIONS OF INSPECTOR MAIGRET (1944), MAIGRET'S CHRISTMAS (1976), and DEATH THREATS AND OTHER STORIES (2001), offering readers punchy snapshots of Parisian life.

Apart from his detective fiction, he achieved critical acclaim for his standalone literary novels, which he called romans durs (hard novels) and considered to be his true literary achievements. These dark, relentless character studies completely abandon the comforting presence of a moral investigator, plunging instead into the unstoppable downward spirals of ordinary individuals broken by obsession or circumstance. Masterpieces of this genre include THE MAN WHO WATCHED THE TRAINS GO BY (1938), LETTER TO MY JUDGE (1947), and THE RULES OF THE GAME (1955), the latter reflecting the sharp, suburban alienation of his American writing period. Simenon also applied this uncompromising psychological lens to his non-Maigret short fiction, capturing bleak human dramas in shorter formats later anthologized for English readers in collections like THE LITTLE DOCTOR (1978) and THE THIRTEEN CULPRITS (2002).

In the twilight of his career, Simenon shifted his focus from fiction to explicit self-examination, producing a substantial body of autobiographical work. After decades of hiding facets of his chaotic personal life behind his characters, he began dictating and writing deeply candid memoirs. His non-fiction output includes WHEN I WAS OLD (1970), the intensely raw LETTER TO MY MOTHER (1974), and his massive final testament, INTIMATE MEMOIRS (1981). These textually rich autobiographical works expose the real-world ghosts, tumultuous relationships, and relentless work ethic that fueled one of the most astonishingly productive writing careers in literary history.


The following books are in ePUB format unless otherwise indicated:

== INSPECTOR MAIGRET: NOVELS ==

* A Crime in Holland [Maigret 07, tr. Reynolds] (Penguin, 2014)
* A Maigret Christmas [tr. Coward] (Penguin, 2017)
* A Man's Head [Maigret 09, tr. Coward] (Penguin, 2014)
* The Carter of La Providence [Maigret 04, tr. Coward] (Penguin, 2014)
* Cécile is Dead [Maigret 20, tr. Bell] (Penguin, 2015)
* The Cellars of the Majestic [Maigret 21, tr. Curtis] (Penguin, 2015)
* The Dancer at the Gai-Moulin [Maigret 10, tr. Reynolds] (Penguin, 2014)
* Félicie [Maigret 25, tr. Coward] (Penguin, 2015)
* The Flemish House [Maigret 14, tr. Whiteside] (Penguin, 2014)
* The Friend of Madame Maigret [Maigret 34, tr. Sebba] (Penguin, 2007)
* The Grand Banks Café [Maigret 08, tr. Coward] (Penguin, 2014)
* The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien [Maigret 03, tr. Coverdale] (Penguin, 2014)
* The Hotel Majestic [Maigret 21, tr. Watson] (Penguin, 2007)
* Inspector Cadaver [Maigret 24, tr. Hobson] (Penguin, 2015)
* The Judge's House [Maigret 22, tr. Curtis] (Penguin, 2015)
* The Late Monsieur Gallet [Maigret 02, tr. Bell] (Penguin, 2013)
* Liberty Bar [Maigret 17, tr. Watson] (Penguin, 2015)
* Lock No. 1 [Maigret 18, tr. Coward] (Penguin, 2015)
* Lock 14 [Maigret 04, tr. Baldick] (Penguin, 2006)
* Madame Maigret's Friend [Maigret 34, tr. Curtis] (Penguin, 2016)
* The Madman of Bergerac [Maigret 15, tr. Schwartz] (Penguin, 2015)
* Maigret [Maigret 19, tr. Schwarz] (Penguin, 2015)
* Maigret and Monsieur Charles [Maigret 75, tr. Schwartz] (Penguin, 2020)
* Maigret and the Dead Girl [Maigret 45, tr. Curtis] (Penguin, 2017)
* Maigret and the Ghost [Maigret 62, tr. Schwartz] (Penguin, 2018)
* Maigret and the Good People of Montparnasse [Maigret 58, tr. Schwartz] (Penguin, 2018)
* Maigret and the Headless Corpse [Maigret 47, tr. Curtis] (Penguin, 2017)
* Maigret and the Informer [Maigret 74, tr. Hobson] (Penguin, 2019)
* Maigret and the Killer [Maigret 70, tr. Whiteside] (Penguin, 2019)
* Maigret and the Lazy Burglar [Maigret 57, tr. Curtis] (Penguin, 2018)
* Maigret and the Loner [Maigret 73, tr. Curtis] (Penguin, 2019)
* Maigret and the Man on the Bench [Maigret 41, tr. Watson] (Penguin, 2017)
* Maigret and the Minister [Maigret 46, tr. Schwartz] (Penguin, 2017)
* Maigret and the Nahour Case [Maigret 65, tr. Hobson] (Penguin, 2019)
* Maigret and the Old Lady [Maigret 33, tr. Schwartz] (Penguin, 2016)
* Maigret and the Old People [Maigret 56, tr. Whiteside] (Penguin, 2018)
* Maigret and the Reluctant Witnesses [Maigret 53, tr. Hobson] (Penguin, 2018)
* Maigret and the Saturday Caller [Maigret 59, tr. Reynolds] (Penguin, 2018)
* Maigret and the Tall Woman [Maigret 38, tr. Watson] (Penguin, 2016)
* Maigret and the Tramp [Maigret 60, tr. Curtis] (Penguin, 2018)
* Maigret and the Wine Merchant [Maigret 71, tr. Schwartz] (Penguin, 2019)
* Maigret at Picratt's [Maigret 36, tr. Hobson] (Penguin, 2016)
* Maigret at the Coroner's [Maigret 32, tr. Coverdale] (Penguin, 2016)
* Maigret Defends Himself [Maigret 63, tr. Curtis] (Penguin, 2019)
* Maigret Enjoys Himself [Maigret 50, tr. Watson] (Penguin, 2017)
* Maigret Gets Angry [Maigret 26, tr. Schwartz] (Penguin, 2015)
* Maigret Goes to School [Maigret 44, tr. Coverdale] (Penguin, 2017)
* Maigret Hesitates [Maigret 67, tr. Curtis] (Penguin, 2019)
* Maigret in Court [Maigret 55, tr. Schwartz] (Penguin, 2018)
* Maigret in New York [Maigret 27, tr. Coverdale] (Penguin, 2016)
* Maigret in Vichy [Maigret 68, tr. Schwartz] (Penguin, 2019)
* Maigret is Afraid [Maigret 42, tr. Schwartz] (Penguin, 2017)
* Maigret Sets a Trap [Maigret 48, tr. Reynolds] (Penguin, 2016)
* Maigret Takes a Room [Maigret 37, tr. Whiteside] (Penguin, 2016)
* Maigret Travels [Maigret 51, tr. Curtis] (Penguin, 2018)
* Maigret, Lognon and the Gangsters [Maigret 39, tr. Hobson] (Penguin, 2017)
* Maigret's Anger [Maigret 61, tr. Hobson] (Penguin, 2018)
* Maigret's Childhood Friend [Maigret 69, tr. Whiteside] (Penguin, 2019)
* Maigret's Dead Man [Maigret 29, tr. Coward] (Penguin, 2016)
* Maigret's Doubts [Maigret 52, tr. Whiteside] (Penguin, 2018)
* Maigret's Failure [Maigret 49, tr. Hobson] (Penguin, 2017)
* Maigret's First Case [Maigret 30, tr. Schwartz] (Penguin, 2016)
* Maigret's Holiday [Maigret 28, tr. Schwartz] (Penguin, 2016)
* Maigret's Madwoman [Maigret 72, tr. Reynolds] (Penguin, 2019)
* Maigret's Memoirs [Maigret 35, tr. Curtis] (Penguin, 2016)
* Maigret's Mistake [Maigret 43, tr. Curtis] (Penguin, 2017)
* Maigret's Patience [Maigret 64, tr. Watson] (Penguin, 2019)
* Maigret's Pickpocket [Maigret 66, tr. Reynolds] (Penguin, 2019)
* Maigret's Revolver [Maigret 40, tr. Reynolds] (Penguin, 2017)
* Maigret's Secret [Maigret 54, tr. Watson] (Penguin, 2018)
* The Misty Harbour [Maigret 11, tr. Coverdale] (Penguin, 2015)
* My Friend Maigret [Maigret 31, tr. Whiteside] (Penguin, 2016)
* The Night at the Crossroads [Maigret 06, tr. Coverdale] (Penguin, 2014)
* Pietr the Latvian [Maigret 01, tr. Bellos] (Penguin, 2013)
* The Saint-Fiacre Affair [Maigret 13, tr. Whiteside] (Penguin, 2014)
* The Shadow Puppet [Maigret 12, tr. Schwartz] (Penguin, 2014)
* Signed, Picpus [Maigret 23, tr. Coward] (Penguin, 2015)
* The Two-Penny Bar [Maigret 11, tr. Watson] (Penguin, 2014)
* The Yellow Dog [Maigret 05, tr. Asher] (Penguin, 2013)

== INSPECTOR MAIGRET: OMNIBUS VOLUMES ==

* Inspector Maigret Omnibus, Volume 1 [tr. Bellos et al.] (Penguin, 2014)
* Inspector Maigret Omnibus, Volume 2 [tr. Whiteside et al.] (Penguin, 2015)

== INSPECTOR MAIGRET: SHORT FICTION ==

* Death Threats and Other Stories [tr. Schwartz] (Penguin, 2021)
* Maigret's Christmas: Nine Stories [tr. Stewart] (HBJ, 1976) – PDF
* New Investigations of Inspector Maigret [tr. Curtis & Schwartz] (Penguin, 2022)

== OTHER NOVELS, or Roman durs ("Hard Novels") ==

* Act of Passion [tr. Varèse] (NYRB, 2011)
* African Trio [tr. Gilbert et al.] (HBJ, 1979) – PDF
* Betty [tr. Schwartz] (Penguin, 2021)
* The Blue Room [tr. Coverdale] (Penguin, 2015)
* The Cat [tr. Schwartz] (Penguin, 2025)
* The Couple from Poitiers [tr. Ellenbogen] (Hamish Hamilton, 1985) – PDF
* Dirty Snow [tr. Romano & Varèse] (NYRB, 2003)
* The Disappearance of Odile [tr. Moir] (HBJ, 1972) – PDF
* The Family Lie [tr. Quigly] (HBJ, 1978) – PDF
* The Girl with a Squint [tr. Thomson] (HBJ, 1978) – PDF
* The Glass Cage [tr. White] (HBJ, 1973) – PDF
* The Grandmother [tr. Stewart] (HBJ, 1980) – PDF
* The Hand [tr. Coverdale] (Penguin, 2016)
* The Hand and Other Novels [tr. Schwartz & Coverdale] (Penguin, 2025)
* The Hatter's Ghosts [tr. Curtis] (Penguin, 2022)
* The House on Quai Notre Dame [tr. Hamilton] (HBJ, 1975) – PDF
* The Krull House [tr. Curtis] (Penguin, 2018)
* Letter to My Judge [tr. Curtis] (Penguin, 2026)
* The Little Man from Archangel [tr. Reynolds] (Penguin, 2021)
* The Long Exile [tr. Ellenbogen] (HBJ, 1983) – PDF
* The Mahé Circle [tr. Reynolds] (Penguin, 2014)
* The Man from London [tr. Curtis] (Penguin, 2020)
* The Man Who Watched the Trains Go By [tr. Reynolds] (Penguin, 2016)
* Monsieur Monde Vanishes [tr. Stewart] (Penguin, 2004)
* Mr. Hire's Engagement [tr. Moschovakis] (Penguin, 2014)
* November [tr. Stewart] (HBJ, 1970) – PDF
* Pedigree [tr. Baldick] (NYRB, 2010)
* The People Opposite [tr. Reynolds] (Penguin, 2022)
* The Pitards [tr. Bellos] (Penguin, 2017)
* The President [tr. Woodward] (Melville House, 2011)
* The Reckoning [tr. Read] (Hamish Hamilton, 1984) – PDF
* The Rich Man [tr. Stewart] (HBJ, 1971) – PDF
* The Rules of the Game [tr. Curtis] (HBJ, 1988) – PDF
* The Snow Was Dirty [tr. Curtis] (Penguin, 2016)
* The Strangers in the House [tr. Curtis] (Penguin, 2021)
* Three Bedrooms in Manhattan (tr. Romano & Blochman] (NYRB, 2003)
* The Train [tr. Baldick] (Melville House, 2011)
* Tropic Moon [tr. Romano] (NYRB, 2005)
* The Venice Train [tr. Schwartz] (Penguin, 2022)
* The White Horse Inn [tr. Denny] (HBJ, 1980) – PDF
* The Widow [tr. Petrie] (NYRB, 2008)
* The Widow Couderc [tr. Reynolds] (Penguin, 2023)

== OTHER SHORT FICTION ==

* The Little Doctor [tr. Stewart] (HBJ, 1978) – PDF
* The Thirteen Culprits [tr. Schulman] (Crippin & Landau, 2002)

== AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ==

* Intimate Memoirs [tr. Salemson] (HBJ, 1984) – PDF
* Letter to My Mother [tr. Manheim] (Penguin, 1976) – PDF
* When I Was Old [tr. Eustis] (Penguin, 2016)

== OTHER ==

* The World of Bond and Maigret [with Ian Fleming] (Eris, 2022)


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