🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Catherine Cookson
Catherine Cookson was an English author. Before her death in 1998, she was the United Kingdom’s most widely read novelist, boasting sales in the hundreds of millions. Despite her fame and fortune, she maintained a relatively low profile, even in the world of celebrity writers. +Biography Born Catherine Ann McMullen in Tyne Dock, South Shields, she eventually moved to East Jarrow, Country Durham (which became the setting for ‘The Fifteen Streets’, one of her best-known novels). Catherine was the illegitimate child of Kate Fawcett, an alcoholic. She was raised by her grandparents and, as a child, she thought Kate, her mother, was her sister. Her father was later revealed (by a biographer) to be Alexander Davies, a bigamist and gambler from Lanarkshire.
All Book Series by Catherine Cookson
Bill and the Mary Ann Shaughnessy
Latest in the series · book 9 of 9 · published 2011
The Mallen Litter / The Mallen Lot
Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 1974
Tilly Trotter Widowed / Tilly Alone
Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 1982
The House on the Fens / Fen Tiger
Book 12 of 78 · published 1963 Pen name · Catherine Marchant
Miss Martha Mary Crawford
Book 33 of 78 · published 1975 Pen name · Catherine Marchant
The Slow Awakening
Book 37 of 78 · published 1976 Pen name · Catherine Marchant
The Gillyvors / Daughter of Scandal / The Love Child
Book 53 of 78 · published 1990
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Catherine Cookson?
Catherine Cookson was an English author. Before her death in 1998, she was the United Kingdom’s most widely read novelist, boasting sales in the hundreds of millions. Despite her fame and fortune, she maintained a relatively low profile, even in the world of celebrity writers. +Biography Born Catherine Ann McMullen in Tyne Dock, South Shields, she eventually moved to East Jarrow, Country Durham (which became the setting for 'The Fifteen Streets’, one of her best-known novels).
Which Catherine Cookson series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Mary Ann Shaughnessy series, the earliest of Catherine Cookson's multi-book series: it opens with A Grand Man (1954) and runs to 9 books across 1954–2011, ending with Bill and the Mary Ann Shaughnessy (2011). Catherine Cookson's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Catherine Cookson written?
Catherine Cookson has 112 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1950 and 2017. 24 of them belong to 6 named series — the largest being the Mary Ann Shaughnessy series with 9 books — and 88 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Catherine Cookson's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Catherine Cookson's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Kate Hannigan (1950–2000, 2 books), Mary Ann Shaughnessy (1954–2011, 9 books) and The Mallen Trilogy (1973–1974, 3 books), plus 3 more.
How are Catherine Cookson's books organised into series?
This guide splits Catherine Cookson's 112 books into 6 named series and 88 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Mary Ann Shaughnessy (9 books, 1954–2011); The Bailey Chronicles (4 books, 1986–1998); The Mallen Trilogy (3 books, 1973–1974); The Tiller Trotter Trilogy (3 books, 1980–1982); The Hamilton Trilogy (3 books, 1983–1985), plus 1 further series.