Track your reading of the Stephen King books in order here. This post explores the “King” of horror novels and shares a free PDF checklist to take away with you. You’ll learn the reading order, discover book series, find new hardcover books to add to your collection and learn more about Stephen King and his career. Let’s dive into the King universe!
Quick Tips:
Looking for Stephen King’s newest book? It’s You Like It Darker, a collection of short stories to be published on May 21, 2024.
Looking for Stephen King’s most popular book? It’s The Shining, which has sold millions of copies and was adapted into an iconic horror film.
Chronological List of All Stephen King Books in Order
Below is the updated list of all Stephen King books by year of publication, from oldest to newest (NOT alphabetical order):
Stephen King’s first book: Carrie (Novel; April 5, 1974 / Limited Edition; December 2013)
Salem’s Lot (Novel; October 17, 1975 / Limited Edition; October 2004 / Illustrated Edition November 11, 2005 / Limited Edition; December 2014)
Rage (Bachman Novel; December 1976 / The Bachman Books October 1985)
The Shining (Novel; January 1977 / Limited Edition; December 2012)
Night Shift (Story Collection; December 1977)
The Stand (Novel; October 1978)
The Long Walk (Bachman Novel; December 1978 / The Bachman Books October 1985)
The Dead Zone (Novel; August 1979)
Firestarter (Limited Edition; December 1979 / Novel; September 29, 1980)
The Mist (Novella; August 29, 1980)
Danse Macabre (Nonfiction & Limited Edition; December 1980)
Roadwork (Bachman Novel; December 1980 / The Bachman Books October 1985)
Cujo (Novel & Limited Edition; September 8, 1981)
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger (Limited Edition; December 1981 / Novel; June
1982)
The Running Man (Bachman Novel; December 1981 / The Bachman Books October 1985)
Apt Pupil (Novella; August 27, 1982)
The Body (Novella; August 27, 1982)
The Breathing Method (Novella; August 27, 1982)
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (Novella; August 27, 1982)
Different Seasons (Story Collection; August 1982)
The Plant (Installment One) (Limited Edition; November 1982)
Christine (Limited Edition; December 1982 / Novel; April 29, 1983)
Cycle of the Werewolf (Limited Edition; December 1982 / Novel; April 1985)
The Plant (Installment Two) (Limited Edition; December 1982)
Pet Sematary (Novel; November 1983)
The Eyes of the Dragon (Limited Edition; December 1983 / Novel; February
1987)
The Talisman (Limited Edition; December 1983 / Novel; November 1984)
Thinner (Bachman Novel; November 1984 / The Bachman Books October 1985)
The Plant (Installment Three) (Limited Edition; December 1984)
Skeleton Crew (Limited Edition; December 1984 / Story Collection; June 1985)
IT (Novel; September 1986)
The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three (Limited Edition; December 1986 / Novel; May 1987)
Misery (Novel; June 1987 / Limited Edition; February 2018)
The Tommyknockers (Novel; November 1987)
My Pretty Pony (Limited Edition; December 1987 / Trade Edition; September
1989)
Nightmares in the Sky (Nonfiction; December 1987)
The Dark Half (Novel; November 1989)
The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition (Limited Edition; December 1989 / Novel; May 1990)
The Langoliers (Novella; September 24, 1990)
The Library Policeman (Novella; September 24, 1990)
Secret Window, Secret Garden (Novella; September 24, 1990)
The Sun Dog (Novella; September 24, 1990)
Four Past Midnight (Story Collection; September 1990)
The Dark Tower: The Waste Lands (Limited Edition; December 1990 / Novel; August 1991)
Needful Things (Novel; October 1991)
Gerald’s Game (Novel; May 1992)
Nightmares & Dreamscapes (Story Collection; October 1993)
Dolores Claiborne (Novel; November 1993)
Mid-Life Confidential: The Rock Bottom Remainders Tour America With Three
Chords and an Attitude (Nonfiction; December 1993)
Insomnia (Limited Edition; June 1994 / Novel; September 1994)
Blind Willie (Novella; October 1994)
Rose Madder (Limited Edition; December 1994; Novel; June 1995)
Desperation (Limited Edition; December 1995 / Novel; September 24, 1996)
The Regulators (Bachman Novel; December 1995 / Limited Edition; December
1995)
The Green Mile: The Two Dead Girls (Novel; March 1996)
The Green Mile: The Mouse on the Mile (Novel; April 1996)
The Green Mile: Coffey’s Hands (Novel; May 1996)
The Green Mile: The Bad Death of Eduard Delacroix (Novel; June 1996)
The Green Mile: Night Journey (Novel; July 1996)
The Green Mile: Coffey on the Mile (Novel; August 1996)
The Dark Tower: Wizard and Glass (Limited Edition; December 1996 / Novel;
November 1997)
Six Stories (Limited Edition; December 1996)
Bag of Bones (Novel; September 22, 1998)
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (Novel; April 1999 / Limited Edition; December
2003)
Hearts in Atlantis (Novella; September 14, 1999 / Story Collection; September 1999)
Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling (Novella; September 14, 1999)
Low Men in Yellow Coats (Novella; September 14, 1999)
Why We’re in Vietnam (Novella; September 14, 1999)
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (Nonfiction; December 1999)
Secret Windows: Essays and Fiction on the Craft of Writing (Nonfiction;
December 1999)
The Green Mile: The Complete Serial Novel (Novel; October 2000 / Limited Edition; December 2006)
Dreamcatcher (Novel; February 20, 2001)
Black House (Novel; September 15, 2001 / Limited Edition; December 2001)
From a Buick 8 (Limited Edition; December 2001 / Novel; September 24, 2002)
Everything’s Eventual (Story Collection; March 2002)
The Dark Tower: Wolves of the Calla (Limited Edition; December 2002 / Novel;
November 2003)
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger (Revised) (Novel; June 2003)
The Dark Tower: Song of Susannah (Limited Edition; December 2003 / Novel;
June 2004)
The Dark Tower (Limited Edition; December 2003 / Novel; September
2004)
Faithful (Nonfiction; September 2005)
The Colorado Kid (Novel; October 2005)
The Secretary of Dreams, Vol. 1 (Limited Edition; December 2005)
Cell (Novel; January 24, 2006)
Lisey’s Story (Novel; October 2006)
Blaze (Bachman Novel; December 2006)
The Colorado Kid (Chadbourne) (Limited Edition; December 2006)
The Colorado Kid (Miller) (Limited Edition; December 2006)
The Colorado Kid (Potter) (Limited Edition; December 2006)
Duma Key (Novel; January 22, 2008)
A Very Tight Place (Novella; May 1, 2008)
N (Novella; November 11, 2008)
Just After Sunset (Story Collection; November 2008)
The Little Sisters of Eluria (Limited Edition; January 2009)
Stephen King Goes to the Movies (Story Collection; January 2009 / Limited
Edition; April 2009)
UR (Novella; February 12, 2009)
Under the Dome (Novel; November 2009)
Blockade Billy (Limited Edition; December 2009 / Novella; April 20, 2010)
The Secretary of Dreams, Vol. 2 (Limited Edition; October 2010)
Full Dark, No Stars (November 9, 2010)
11/22/63 (Novel; November 8, 2011)
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole (Limited Edition; February 2012 / Novel; April 2012)
GUNS (Nonfiction; January 2013)
Joyland (Limited Edition; June 2013 / Novel; June 2013 / Illustrated Edition
September 2015)
Doctor Sleep (Novel; September 24, 2013 / Limited Edition; September 2013)
Mr. Mercedes (Novel; June 2014)
Revival (Novel; November 2014 / Limited Edition; December 2019)
Finders Keepers (Novel; June 2, 2015)
The Bazaar of Bad Dreams (Story Collection; November 2015)
End of Watch (Novel; June 7, 2016)
Gwendy’s Button Box (Novella; May 16, 2017)
Sleeping Beauties (Novel; September 26, 2017)
The Outsider (Novel; May 2018)
Elevation (Novella; October 30, 2018)
The Institute (Novel; September 2019)
If It Bleeds (Novella; April 21, 2020 / Story Collection; April 2020)
The Life of Chuck (Novella; April 21, 2020)
Mr. Harrigan’s Phone (Novella; April 21, 2020)
Rat (Novella; April 21, 2020)
Later (Limited Edition; March 30, 2021 / Novel; March 2, 2021)
Billy Summers (Novel; August 3, 2021)
Gwendy’s Final Task (Novel; February 15, 2022)
Fairy Tale (Novel; September 6, 2022)
Holly (Novel; September 5, 2023)
You Like It Darker (Short Stories; May 21, 2024)
Alphabetical Order
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About the Author Stephen King
about
Stephen King is one of the bestselling authors of all-time with more than 350 million books sold. His catalog is vast, but he is best known for his horror stories. His net worth is $500 million.
He writes both nonfiction and fiction books, particularly novels in the genres of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, psychological thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, and science fiction fantasy.
King has received numerous writing awards, including:
- the 2003 The National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters
- the 2003 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters
- the 2007 Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America,
- the 2014 National Medal of Arts
- over a dozen Bram Stoker Awards and Edgar Allan Poe Awards combined
He also runs the small publishing house Philtrum Press and owns a broadcasting company called The Zone Corporation.
The most successful Stephen King adaptations include the movies The Shawshank Redemption (based on the novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption), IT, and The Green Mile, as well as the TV series Under the Dome and Castle Rock.
Stephen King currently resides in Maine and Florida with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.
How We Ranked Stephen King’s Books
This full list of Stephen King books in order comes with some caveats to note.
Stephen King is one of the most famous authors of all time and his works are incredibly vast. They number in the hundreds! He has written over 200 short stories alone! As such, this list was incredibly difficult to narrow down.
Since the title of this post is about “Stephen King BOOKS in Order,” I chose to focus on just that here — BOOKS.
I decided that most people searching for this term want to buy or borrow books. They are not looking for a rare, limited edition short story or essay that needs to be tracked down. I also decided to leave out graphic novels.
So, here, you will find a chronological list of Stephen King novels, novellas, story collections, nonfiction books, and boxed sets.
These works contained many editions. I had to decide how to list them and when. I also had to decide if a similar publication should be a different title. I assure you, it was not easy, but I really did my best to write this article the way I felt a reader would want to read it.
This list does NOT include essays, speeches, or poems. It also excludes standalone short stories, parts of anthologies, screenplays, limited edition publishings, interviews, uncollected works, or unpublished works. For these works, visit Stephen King’s official website.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Shining is Stephen King’s most popular book, known for its deep horror and spooky Overlook Hotel. It mixes ghostly elements with family drama. The famous movie by Stanley Kubrick also boosts its popularity.
The Shining is a perfect introduction to Stephen King, mixing psychological horror with the supernatural at the Overlook Hotel. Celebrated for its tense atmosphere and compelling characters, it shows Jack Torrance’s spiral into madness.
Reading Stephen King’s books in the order they were published is a common approach to exploring the evolution of King’s writing style. However, you might also start with his classic horror novels such as Carrie, Salem’s Lot, and The Shining.
Not all of Stephen King’s books are directly connected, but many share common elements, characters, and settings that loosely connect his work. The town of Castle Rock, the fictional Derry, Maine, and The Dark Tower series are examples of recurring elements of a shared universe.
Reading Stephen King’s books in the order they were published is a common approach to exploring the evolution of King’s writing style. But, it’s not necessary. You might also start with his classic horror novels such as Carrie, Salem’s Lot, and The Shining.
Conclusion
Exploring Stephen King’s books in order opens you to a world where horror, suspense, and human insight intersect. Each book showcases King’s mastery of his craft, especially for those looking for a spooky Fall thriller or a haunting Winter thriller.
WHERE TO START READING STEPHEN KING BOOKS
- FIRST BOOK: Carrie
- NEWEST BOOK: You Like It Darker
- MOST POPULAR BOOK: The Shining
- POPULAR SERIES: The Dark Tower
What is the longest Stephen King book?
With 1,152 pages, The Complete and Uncut Edition of The Stand is Stephen King’s longest stand-alone book.
Actually, the Complete and Uncut Edition is listed with 1,135 pages; however, there are pre-pages without page numbers.
Charlie the choo choo by Beryl Evans, Aka Stephen king
Hi, I noticed that Fright or Flight was left off the list. I believe it was in 2018.
Thanks, Denise. That one was an anthology, and I am not including anthologies here. I discuss these difficult decisions more at the top of this post.
Thank you for this list, I have been reading Stephen Kings books in order- this helps a lot 🙂
Isnt under the dome a book also besides a movie ?
Yes, it’s on the list!
Thank you very much for sharing this comprehensive list. I hope to become a King completist some day!
Thank you for making the list but you should have added 11/22/63 for winning academy award for best book ever.
Thank you so much for making this, it has been SO much easier to find the books this way, no other sites I went to had all of them.
You’re welcome!
You left out Storm of the Century, it is a screen play written exclusively for Book-of-the-Month Club in 1999. ISBN 0-965-79693-0
Thank you! I chose to focus on “books” and not include other works like screenplays, essays, short stories, etc., because it became so massively complicated and hard to track down the really rare stuff. But, I appreciate you mentioning, in case anyone else is interested in this one too!
You forgot Full Dark, No Stars published in 2010.
@Marcia, Thanks so much, I have added it.
You left out Gwendy’s Magic Feather. Don’t know the date but I owne it.
Gwendy’s Magic Feather appears to be by Richard Chizmar with only a foreword by Stephen King.
@Marcalea, he didn’t write that one.