🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Shirley Jackson
About Shirley Jackson Renowned for her horror and mystery writing, Shirley Jackson crafted an innovative style over her two-decade career that earned her a prominent place within modern literature and hundreds of critical accolades. In 1948, The Road Through the Wall — a semi-autobiographical narrative of her childhood in California — marked her debut novel. It was followed by her acclaimed short story ‘The Lottery’ the following year, which explored the dark secrets of a seemingly golden small town. In 1959, The Haunting of Hill House made its way to the echelons of great supernatural horror and saw her reach her creative peak with the 1962 gothic masterpiece We Have Always Lived in The Castle.
All Book Series by Shirley Jackson
Life Among the Savages. Illustrated
Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 2026
Let Me Tell You: New Stories, Essays, and Other Writings
Book 9 of 10 · published 2015
The Letters of Shirley Jackson
Single-title series · published 2021 Co-authored · Laurence Jackson Hyman,Bernice M. Murphy
Volume III:A Fabulous, Formless Darkness
Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 1991
Night in Funland and Other Stories From Literary Cavalcade
Book 4 of 22 · published 1969
First Fiction: An Anthology of the First Published Stories by Famous Writers
Book 12 of 22 · published 1994
Stories for Winter: And Nights by the Fire
Latest in the series · book 22 of 22 · published 2023
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Shirley Jackson?
About Shirley Jackson Renowned for her horror and mystery writing, Shirley Jackson crafted an innovative style over her two-decade career that earned her a prominent place within modern literature and hundreds of critical accolades. In 1948, The Road Through the Wall — a semi-autobiographical narrative of her childhood in California — marked her debut novel. It was followed by her acclaimed short story 'The Lottery' the following year, which explored the dark secrets of a seemingly golden small town.
Which Shirley Jackson series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Life Among the Savages series, the earliest of Shirley Jackson's multi-book series: it opens with Life Among the Savages (1953) and runs to 3 books across 1953–2026, ending with Life Among the Savages. Illustrated (2026).
How many books has Shirley Jackson written?
Shirley Jackson has 74 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1947 and 2026. 25 of them belong to 4 named series — the largest being the Life Among the Savages series with 3 books — and 49 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Shirley Jackson's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Shirley Jackson's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Life Among the Savages (1953–2026, 3 books) and Shirley Jackson Chap (1955–1991, 2 books).
How are Shirley Jackson's books organised into series?
This guide splits Shirley Jackson's 74 books into 4 named series and 49 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Life Among the Savages (3 books, 1953–2026); Shirley Jackson Chap (2 books, 1955–1991); Selected Shorts (17 books, 1993–2012); The Dark Descent (3 books, 1987–1991).