🎯 Where Should I Start?
Best Starting Point
Publication Order of The Frederica Quartet Books
Start with: The Virgin in the Garden (1978)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
Start with: The Game (1967)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas
Start with: Raw Material (2011)
ⓘ About A.S. Byatt
A.S Byatt is an internationally recognized author of literature and fiction novels and short stories. She was a teacher at Central School of Art before deciding to become a full-time writer. Her book, Possession, won the Booker Prize. She was appointed CBE in 1990 and DBE in 1999. The novel alternates between the past and the present, where in the past, a poet observes a mysterious creature that appears half woman and half mermaid bathing in the sea. His curiosity brings life into inert things, making them shine with their inner glow because he doesn’t want to possess what he loves; instead, he cherishes it making it flourish in its natural state.
All Book Series by A.S. Byatt
1
The Virgin in the Garden
Series opener · book 1 of 4 · published 1978
Buy on Amazon1978
4
A Whistling Woman
Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 2002
Buy on Amazon2002
1
The Game
Series opener · book 1 of 6 · published 1967
Buy on Amazon1967
3
The Shadow of the Sun
Book 3 of 6 · published 1994
Buy on Amazon1994
4
The Biographer's Tale
Book 4 of 6 · published 2000
Buy on Amazon2000
5
The Children's Book
Book 5 of 6 · published 2009
Buy on Amazon2009
6
Ragnarok
Latest in the series · book 6 of 6 · published 2011
Buy on Amazon2011
1
Raw Material
Series opener · book 1 of 3 · published 2011
Buy on Amazon2011
3
The Thing in the Forest
Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 2011
Buy on Amazon2011
1
Sugar and Other Stories
Series opener · book 1 of 9 · published 1987
Buy on Amazon1987
2
Passions of the Mind
Book 2 of 9 · published 1990
Buy on Amazon1990
3
The Matisse Stories
Book 3 of 9 · published 1991
Buy on Amazon1991
4
Angels and Insects
Book 4 of 9 · published 1992
Buy on Amazon1992
5
The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye
Book 5 of 9 · published 1994
Buy on Amazon1994
8
Little Black Book of Stories
Book 8 of 9 · published 2003
Buy on Amazon2003
9
Medusa's Ankles
Latest in the series · book 9 of 9 · published 2021
Buy on Amazon2021
1
Degrees of Freedom
Series opener · book 1 of 8 · published 1965
Buy on Amazon1965
3
Imagining Characters
Book 3 of 8 · published 1995
Buy on Amazon1995
4
On Histories and Stories
Book 4 of 8 · published 2000
Buy on Amazon2000
5
Portraits in Fiction
Book 5 of 8 · published 2001
Buy on Amazon2001
6
Writers on Artists
Book 6 of 8 · published 2001
Buy on Amazon2001
8
Memory
Latest in the series · book 8 of 8 · published 2018
Buy on Amazon2018
1
The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories
Series opener · book 1 of 10 · published 1984
Buy on Amazon1984
3
Mistresses of the Dark
Book 3 of 10 · published 1998
Buy on Amazon1998
4
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
Book 4 of 10 · published 1998
Buy on Amazon1998
5
Ovid Metamorphosed
Book 5 of 10 · published 2000
Buy on Amazon2000
6
The New Uncanny
Book 6 of 10 · published 2008
Buy on Amazon2008
7
Great Modern Stories
Book 7 of 10 · published 2009
Buy on Amazon2009
8
Short Stories: The Thoroughly Modern Collection
Book 8 of 10 · published 2009
Buy on Amazon2009
10
The Women Writers' Handbook
Latest in the series · book 10 of 10 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is A.S. Byatt?
A.S Byatt is an internationally recognized author of literature and fiction novels and short stories. She was a teacher at Central School of Art before deciding to become a full-time writer. Her book, Possession, won the Booker Prize.
Which A.S. Byatt series should I start with?
The best place to start is The Frederica Quartet series, the earliest of A.S. Byatt's multi-book series: it opens with The Virgin in the Garden (1978) and runs to 4 books across 1978–2002, ending with A Whistling Woman (2002).
How many books has A.S. Byatt written?
A.S. Byatt has 40 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1965 and 2021. 4 of them belong to 1 named series — the largest being The Frederica Quartet series with 4 books — and 36 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should A.S. Byatt's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. A.S. Byatt's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are The Frederica Quartet (1978–2002, 4 books).
How are A.S. Byatt's books organised into series?
This guide splits A.S. Byatt's 40 books into 1 named series and 36 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: The Frederica Quartet (4 books, 1978–2002).