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Can I read Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy first or would you recommend I start with Call for the Dead (the first book in the Smiley series)?
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Joseph
Before reading any of these books I suggest you Google "John Le Carré spy jargon". You will find definitions of "janitor", "mother", and several other code words sprinkled throughout the book.
Chitra Gautham
This is the first book of the trilogy, which is completed by ' The honorable schoolboy', and then finally 'Smiley's people'. All of Le Carre's other books can be read in any order.
R Moba
Order truly doesn't matter, BUT if you want the backstory on Smiley&Mendel or even Smiley&Ann, Call for the Dead is a must.
Brendan
There is no such thing as "the Smiley series," except in the minds of certain Goodreads librarians. This is the first book in le Carré's so-called Karla Trilogy.
Idril Celebrindal
No need to start with Call for the Dead - the plots aren't related and Smiley is a fully-formed character in Tinker Tailor on its own.
Jonathan
This is the start of the "Karla Trilogy" so you can start here. It can be a bit tough to figure out what's going on at times, but stick with it and you'll really enjoy it.
Walt Terry
Definitely start here.
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