🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Hilary Mantel
Hilary Mary Dame Mantel was a renowned writer known for her diverse works that spanned personal memoirs, short stories, essays, and historical fiction. Mantel was born on July 6, 1952, in Glossop, a marketplace within the Borough of High Peak, located in Derbyshire, a county in the East Midlands of England. Sadly, she passed away on September 20, 2022. During her lifetime, Mantel was twice awarded the Booker Prize, an annual literary award given to the best original novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom. Her first Booker Prize was awarded in 2009 after the publication of her novel “Wolf Hall.” This historical fiction, based on the life of Thomas Cromwell and his rise to power during the reign of Henry VIII, was met with widespread acclaim.
All Book Series by Hilary Mantel
A Memoir of My Former Self: A Life in Writing
Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 2023
The BBC National Short Story Award 2010
Series opener · book 1 of 15 · published 2010 Anthology · Helen Oyeyemi,David Constantine,Sarah Hall,Aminatta Forna,Jon McGregor
The BBC National Short Story Award 2011
Book 2 of 15 · published 2011 Anthology · Alison MacLeod,M.J. Hyland,Jon McGregor,K.J. Orr,Sue MacGregor
The BBC International Short Story Award 2012
Book 3 of 15 · published 2012 Anthology · Miroslav Penkov,Carrie Tiffany,Deborah Levy,M.J. Hyland,Clive Anderson,Lucy Caldwell,Henrietta Rose-Innes,Julian Gough,Chris Womersley,Krys Lee,Adam Ross
The BBC National Short Story Award 2013
Book 4 of 15 · published 2013 Anthology · Lionel Shriver,Sarah Hall,Lavinia Greenlaw,Lucy Wood
The BBC National Short Story Award 2014
Book 5 of 15 · published 2014 Anthology · Tessa Hadley,Lionel Shriver,Zadie Smith,Rose Tremain,Francesca Rhydderch,Alan Yentob
The BBC National Short Story Award 2015
Book 6 of 15 · published 2015 Anthology · Jeremy Page
BBC National Short Story Award 2016
Book 7 of 15 · published 2016 Co-authored · Claire-Louise Bennett,Lavinia Greenlaw,Tahmima Anam,Jenni Murray,K.J. Orr
The BBC National Short Story Award 2017
Book 8 of 15 · published 2017 Anthology · Joanna Trollope,Helen Oyeyemi,Jenni Fagan,Benjamin Markovits,Will Eaves,Cynan Jones
The BBC National Short Story Award 2018
Book 9 of 15 · published 2018 Anthology · Kerry Andrew,Sarah Hall,Ingrid Persaud,Nell Stevens,Kiare Ladner,Stig Abell
The BBC National Short Story Award 2019
Book 10 of 15 · published 2019 Anthology · Lucy Caldwell,Jo Lloyd,Lynda Clark,Jacqueline Crooks,Nikki Bedi
The BBC National Short Story Award 2020
Book 11 of 15 · published 2020 Anthology · Eley Williams,Sarah Hall,Caleb Azumah Nelson,Jan Carson,Jack Houston
The BBC National Short Story Award 2021
Book 12 of 15 · published 2021 Anthology · Danny Rhodes,James Runcie,Richard Smyth,Lucy Caldwell,Rory Gleeson,Georgina Harding
The BBC National Short Story Award 2022
Book 13 of 15 · published 2022 Anthology · Kerry Andrew,Elizabeth Day,Jenn Ashworth,Anna Bailey,Vanessa Onwuemezi,Saba Sams
The BBC National Short Story Award 2023
Book 14 of 15 · published 2023 Anthology · Kamila Shamsie,NickMulgrew,NaomiWood,CheriseSaywell,KPatrick,Reeta Chakrabarti
The BBC National Short Story Award 2024
Latest in the series · book 15 of 15 · published 2024 Anthology · Lucy Caldwell,Ross Raisin,Will Boast,Manish Chauhan,Paddy O’Connell,Vee Walker
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Hilary Mantel?
Hilary Mary Dame Mantel was a renowned writer known for her diverse works that spanned personal memoirs, short stories, essays, and historical fiction. Mantel was born on July 6, 1952, in Glossop, a marketplace within the Borough of High Peak, located in Derbyshire, a county in the East Midlands of England. Sadly, she passed away on September 20, 2022.
Which Hilary Mantel series should I start with?
The best place to start is The Wolf Hall series, the earliest of Hilary Mantel's multi-book series: it opens with Wolf Hall (2009) and runs to 3 books across 2009–2020, ending with The Mirror and the Light (2020).
How many books has Hilary Mantel written?
Hilary Mantel has 36 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1985 and 2024. 20 of them belong to 3 named series — the largest being The Wolf Hall series with 3 books — and 16 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Hilary Mantel's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Hilary Mantel's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Axon Family (1985–1986, 2 books) and The Wolf Hall (2009–2020, 3 books).
How are Hilary Mantel's books organised into series?
This guide splits Hilary Mantel's 36 books into 3 named series and 16 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: The Wolf Hall (3 books, 2009–2020); Axon Family (2 books, 1985–1986); The BBC National Short Story Award (15 books, 2010–2024).