Books
Stephen King books in order
Master thriller writer Stephen King has penned over 50 novels, selling 350 million copies in a career that spans over 40 years.
“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”
Stephen King
Famous for his terrifying prose, King writes horror, supernatural, science fiction, fantasy and, more recently, crime novels. When asked why he writes, King responds: “The answer to that is fairly simple — there was nothing else I was made to do. I was made to write stories and I love to write stories. That’s why I do it. I really can’t imagine doing anything else and I can’t imagine not doing what I do.”
Having penned over 200 short stories – many set in his home town of Maine and the most famous arguably being his novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, the basis for the movie The Shawshank Redemption – it was no surprise when he was awarded a National Medal of Arts from the United States National Endowment for the Arts for his contributions to literature in 2015.
Did you know…
1. King credits The Lurker of the Threshold, a short story collection by HP Lovecraft as the catalyst to him becoming a writer.
2. More Stephen King books have been adapted into films than any other living author.
3. Stephen King also writes under two pen names: Richard Bachman and John Swithen.
4. Carrie was originally planned as a short story but King threw out the first draft. It was rescued by his wife Tabitha.
5. Mr Mercedes, King’s first ‘hard-boiled detective book’, was first published in 2014 and featured retired detective Bill Hodges. It won an Edgar Award and, as the first in a trilogy, was followed by Finders and Keepers and End of Watch.
Read on for a list of Stephen King books in order – or find out how his writing has inspired other writers here.
Stephen King bibliography:
| By date | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. Carrie (1974) | 2. ‘Salem’s Lot (1975) | 3. The Shining (1977) |
| 4. Rage (1977) | 5. The Stand (1978) | 6. The Long Walk (1979) |
| 7. The Dead Zone (1979) | 8. Firestarter (1980) | 9. Roadwork (1981) |
| 10. Cujo (1981) | 11. The Running Man (1982) | 12. The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger (1982) |
| 13. Christine (1983) | 14. Pet Sematary (1983) | 15. Cycle of the Werewolf (1983) |
| 16. The Talisman (1984) | 17. Thinner (1984) | 18. It (1986) |
| 19. The Eyes of the Dragon (1987) | 20. The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three (1987) | 21. Misery (1987) |
| 22. The Tommyknockers (1987) | 23. The Dark Half (1989) | 24. The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands (1991) |
| 25. Needful Things (1991) | 26. Gerald’s Game (1992) | 27. Dolores Claiborne (1992) |
| 28. Insomnia (1994) | 29. Rose Madder (1995) | 30. The Green Mile (1996) |
| 31. Desperation (1996) | 32. The Regulators (1996) | 33. The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass (1997) |
| 34. Bag of Bones (1998) | 35. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999) | 36. Dreamcatcher (2001) |
| 37. Black House (2001) | 38. From a Buick 8 (2002) | 39. The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla (2003) |
| 40. The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah (2004) | 41. The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower (2004) | 42. The Colorado Kid (2005) |
| 43. Cell (2006) | 44. Lisey’s Story (2006) | 45. Blaze (2007) |
| 46. Duma Key (2008) | 47. Under the Dome (2009) | 48. 11/22/63 (2011) |
| 49. The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole (2012) | 50. Joyland (2013) | 51. Doctor Sleep (2013) |
| 52. Mr. Mercedes (2014) | 53. Revival (2014) | 54. Finders Keepers (2015) |
| 55. End of Watch (2016) | 56. Gwendy’s Button Box (2017) | 57. Sleeping Beauties (2017) |
| 58. The Outsider (2018) | 59. Elevation (2018) | 60. The Institute (2019) |
| 61. Later (2021) | 62. Billy Summers (2021) | 63. Fairy Tale (2022) |
| 64. Holly (2023) |
What better barometer of an author’s impact than to be revisited by their characters and plot lines at random moments each day? Stephen King’s works live deep within me, bubbling up into conscious thought with incredible frequency. His mastery of the written word is a constant inspiration for my own writing these days.
Salems Lot was the first Stephen King book I read. That was shortly after it was published. I was around 19 and became so completely engrossed, I had to sleep with my light on after reading at night. Salems Lot reawakened my childhood fear of vampires for a couple of weeks…and I loved it. I’ve been a fan ever since.
I loved Salem’s lot but I really loved the mini series I was like 8 or 9 years old .first movie to scare me.i also loved Rose Red . I
Enjoyed reading Bag of bones but not the actors in the TV version ,pierce Bronson no good.Tommy knocked ,mist,langoliers and the cell ,dream catchers and in the tall green grass I really could not get into.i loved when he wrote stuff like Shawshank,hearts of atlantis ,misery,apt pupil ,rear window(loved the book and jonny depp)
I found this while looking for King books I might not have read. I loved Billy Summers and the Mr. Mercedes trilogy. My first Stephen King book was The Stand. It was likely shortly after the paperback was released. I was a struggling young actor in NYC at the time. I’ve enjoyed every King book I’ve read so far. Finished Fairy Tale a few days ago. I wrote short stories in High School and was encouraged by my teacher, Miss Nyhart. Went to college thinking I’d be a novelist. I switched track pursue theater. I had a book of poetry published, In Mercurial Days, and from January of 2021 until February of 2022 I wrote 34 flash fiction stories. At the age of 73, I find I can’t act as well as Anthony Hopkins or write as well as Stephen King. I have tried. Attempted imitation is the highest form of flattery. I think King has gotten better over the years. Thank you and keep writing, sir.
I have to say that Mr. King is an amazing author and I consider him to be the BEST of ALL TIME. My mother started reading and collecting his books when they first came out and continued getting every book as soon as it was released until she passed away in 2012. She allowed me to read each book only AFTER she finished with it. When she passed, I continued collecting his works not only to honor my mother but because I love how I get totally lost in the worlds of his imagination (and my own). My oldest sister fell in love with his writing and now I have 3 others in my family that have begun collecting his works as well. I really wish I had the words to express just how much my entire family has enjoyed his wonderful way of entertainment and cannot say THANK YOU enough for sharing.