Lanny Budd vs The Roman Mysteries
Two historical fiction series side by side, straight from the catalog data: The Roman Mysteries is the longer series (19 books vs 11 books); The Roman Mysteries is the more recent one, starting in 2001. There's no wrong answer — pick the shape that fits your reading appetite, and Shelfmark will keep your place in either (no account needed).
| Statistic | Lanny Budd | The Roman Mysteries |
|---|---|---|
| Author | Upton Sinclair | Caroline Lawrence |
| Books | 11 | 19 |
| Published | 1940–1953 | 2001–2009 |
| Books per year | 0.8 | 2.4 |
| Start with | World's End (1940) | The Secrets of Vesuvius (2001) |
| Reading order | Full Lanny Budd order → | Full The Roman Mysteries order → |
Numbers come from the Shelfmark catalog (Wikidata + Open Library). "Books per year" is catalogued books divided by the publication span — a rough cadence, not a quality score.