📖 About Ballad

Ballad is a series universe written by Sharyn McCrumb. The complete collection runs to 12 books across 1 series, published between 1990 and 2016.

The main series is Publication Order of Ballad Books with 12 books. It opens with If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O (1990) and currently runs to Prayers the Devil Answers (2016).

Series included on this page:

🎯 Where to Start with Ballad

New readers should begin with the first book of the main series in publication order: If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O (1990), book 1 of Publication Order of Ballad Books. Reading in publication order lets the world and characters develop the way the author intended, and it avoids spoilers that later books may contain.

Each of the 1 series on this page is expandable — click a series heading to see every title it contains, in order, with a direct link to buy the book on Amazon.

📚 Ballad Books in Order

Publication Order of Ballad Books
12 books
1
If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O book cover1If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O1990Buy on Amazon
The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter book cover2The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter1992Buy on Amazon
She Walks These Hills book cover3She Walks These Hills1994Buy on Amazon
The Rosewood Casket book cover4The Rosewood Casket1996Buy on Amazon
The Ballad of Frankie Silver book cover5The Ballad of Frankie Silver1997Buy on Amazon
The Songcatcher book cover6The Songcatcher2001Buy on Amazon
Ghost Riders book cover7Ghost Riders2003Buy on Amazon
The Devil Amongst the Lawyers book cover8The Devil Amongst the Lawyers2010Buy on Amazon
The Ballad of Tom Dooley book cover9The Ballad of Tom Dooley2011Buy on Amazon
King's Mountain book cover10King's Mountain2013Buy on Amazon
Nora Bonesteel's Christmas Past book cover11Nora Bonesteel's Christmas Past2014Buy on Amazon
Prayers the Devil Answers book cover12Prayers the Devil Answers2016Buy on Amazon

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How many Ballad books are there?
There are 12 books in the Ballad collection, organised into 1 series and published between 1990 and 2016.
What is the first Ballad book?
The first book is If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O, published in 1990.
What order should I read the Ballad books in?
Most readers use publication order, which is the order the books were originally released. A chronological order is also provided on this page for readers who prefer to follow the internal timeline of the story.
Who wrote the Ballad books?
The Ballad books were written by Sharyn McCrumb.
Is the Ballad series finished?
The main series, Publication Order of Ballad Books, has 12 books so far. The most recent title listed on this page gives the current end point of the series.
When did the Ballad series start?
The earliest title in this collection was published in 1990, and the most recent in 2016.