In what order should I read the following books?

[Dostov]

Crime and Punishment
Demons (aka The Possessed)
Notes from Underground
The Adolescent
The Brothers Karamazov
The Double
The Eternal Husband
The Gambler
The Idiot

[Scoundrel]

I'd recommend starting with one of the following:
The Idiot
The Double
Crime and Punishment


One book to definitely NOT start with is 'Demons'... After you've read a few of D's works, it will be a much better read  

[El Capitan]

I'd also say Notes from the Underground would be one to read later rather than sooner.

Crime and Punishment is a good starting point as it captures both Dostoevsky's unique ability to capture the mind of a mentally disturbed person yet at the same time is fairly easy to follow.

As for the Adolescent, it's got some pretty mixed reviews. I haven't personally read it yet, so I can't say for sure, but I'd hate for you to read one of his possibly not so good books and then decide not to read the others.

[Dostov]

I'd recommend starting with one of the following:
The Idiot
The Double
Crime and Punishment


One book to definitely NOT start with is 'Demons'... After you've read a few of D's works, it will be a much better read  

why shouldn't I start with "demons"?

[Silvio]

I found The Devils was the last of the major novels I
read. Unless I take to a book and enjoy reading it I'll
usually put it down and try it again later. Such was the
case with The Devils. Maybe because he's dealing with
a tale adapted from a real event. Maybe because I
find people 'in love with political doctrines' rather
tiresome, but the characters in The Devils are not the
most lovable Dostoevsky has drawn  there are hardly any in the book that don't seem shallow, narsissistic, boastful and (the males at least) seem to be all parasites of one ilk or another. The only noble characters I can remember are a rather severe General's widow and an equally poor and unobtrusive peasant woman.I can't recall if this novel mentions the phenomonon of "shriekers" - a condition where peasant women were driven to hysteria by the relentless brutality of their lives.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   I                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

[Scoundrel]

It's true.... there isn't much in the way of nobel characters in Demons...... also, I found the first 200 pages to be rather dry.... I don't think it would be a good first impression of Dostoevsky

[El Capitan]

I'd recommend starting with one of the following:
The Idiot
The Double
Crime and Punishment


One book to definitely NOT start with is 'Demons'... After you've read a few of D's works, it will be a much better read  

why shouldn't I start with "demons"?

Probably a combination of the complexity and length of it for one. It's interesting and well-written, but at times it's tedious and reads like a textbook. It's also much more about politics of his time than his other works that are more about human psychology. I think if you're a political scientist or something, you might like it more than his others, but it's not his best in my opinion if you're looking for the psychologist/philosopher side of Dostoevsky.

[K.]

Demons is by far one of my favorite D. novels (though the Bros K is my fav), but I would not recommend reading it first for two reasons.  First, it takes about ~150 pages or so to really get going.  It's an amazing novel, but like someone else mentioned, if I hadn't read some of his other novels first to know that it would be worth sticking with it, I probably would have set it down without getting too far into it.  The other reason is that there is a lot of socio-political context relevant to Demons that one can pick up by reading his other novels first.  It's not absolutely necessary, but it helps.

In general, it's probably a good idea to start with C&P and/or the Idiot and then move on to TBK and Demons.  But that's the order I read them in so I might be a little biased  

[carnage_complex]

    I would start out with "The Gambler."  It's fairly short, but gives you a very good notion of what Dostoevsky's all about.  Likewise for "The Double," but it's a bit more esoteric and may not be as accessible to someone who's just starting out.  I personally read "The Idiot" first, but believe that my affinity for it was more a question of personal inclination than anything else. 

[The Cajun Karamazov]

Well, I read TBK first, and have felt that it, above everything else, has helped me understand Dostoevsky and put his work into context. But perhaps, I am biased towards it.

[Gogol]

I started with The Idiot and was completely enthralled. I think this and Crime and Punishment are the type to envelop you from the very beginning, and both are a good manner in which to become acquainted with Dostoevsky's works. After that you might try some of his short stories, and see what other areas he branches into. Then Notes From Underground, The Brothers Karamazov, The Adolescent.

[richieb]

Since u posted in 2009 u have prob read most or all by now. I found crime and punishment and the eternal husband to b much easier reads than the brothers k and notes from underground, which was the toughest. Haven't read idiot or demons yet but they r on my list.  Victor Terras has written several critical studies of D and his works so u might want to check out some of his stuff.