A. S. Byatt published 16 novels, 2 novellas, 7 short story collections, 2 non-fiction books and 2 poetry collections, beginning with The Virgin in the Garden (1978). 4 feature Frederica Potter. The best-known is Possession (1990).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with A. S. Byatt
Start here
Possession
A. S. Byatt's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
Degrees of Freedom (1965)
The Game (1967)
Passions of the Mind (1990)
Possession (1990)
The Shadow of the Sun (1991)
Angels and Insects (1992)
Imagining Characters (1995)
Writers on Artists (2001)
The Biographer's Tale (Nov 2001)
Little Black Book of Stories (2003)
The Children's Book (2009)
Ragnarok (2011)
Novellas in order
Iris Murdoch (1976)
Portraits in Fiction (2001)
Short story collections in order
Sugar and Other Stories (1987)
The Matisse Stories (1993)
The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye (1994)
Elementals (1998)
The Oxford Book of English Short Stories (1998)
On Histories and Stories (2000)
Medusa's Ankles (2021)
Non-fiction in order
Wordsworth and Coleridge in Their Time (1970)
Peacock and Vine (2016)
Poetry in order
Unruly Times (1989)
Selected Essays, Poems, and Other Writings (1990)
Film and TV adaptations
- Possession (2002)Film · from Possession
- Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022)Film · from The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye
About A. S. Byatt
Dame Antonia Susan Duffy, known professionally by her former married name, A. S. Byatt, was an English critic, novelist, poet and short-story writer. Her books have been translated into more than thirty languages.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
A. S. Byatt FAQ
- How many books has A. S. Byatt written?
- A. S. Byatt published 16 novels, 2 novellas, 7 short story collections, 2 non-fiction books and 2 poetry collections that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read A. S. Byatt's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with Possession.
- What is A. S. Byatt's last book?
- Medusa's Ankles (2021).
- What is A. S. Byatt's most famous book?
- Possession (1990) is A. S. Byatt's most widely read book.
- Which A. S. Byatt books have been adapted?
- 2 books have been adapted for film or TV, including Possession (film, 2002) and The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye (as Three Thousand Years of Longing, film, 2022).
Authors like A. S. Byatt
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.