Langston Hughes published 7 novels, 2 novellas, 7 short story collections, 4 non-fiction books, 7 children's books, 12 poetry collections, 1 play and 12 other books, beginning with The Ways of White Folks (1934). The best-known is Poems (1959).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with Langston Hughes
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Poems
Langston Hughes's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
The Ways of White Folks (1934)
Simple Speaks His Mind (1950)
Simple Takes a Wife (1953)
Tambourines to Glory (1958)
Not Without Laughter (1968)
Thank You, M'am (1991)
Remember Me to Harlem (2001)
Novellas in order
The Sweet Flypaper of Life (1955)
The Dream Keeper and Other Poems (1959)
Short story collections in order
The Best of Simple (1961)
Something in Common, and Other Stories (1963)
Simple's Uncle Sam (1965)
The Best Short Stories by Negro Writers (1967)
The Return of Simple (1994)
The Short Stories of Langston Hughes (1996)
The Best Short Stories by Black Writers, 1899-1967 and 1967-1995 (2002)
Non-fiction in order
The Big Sea (1944)
Fields of Wonder (1947)
I Wonder as I Wander (1956)
Fight for Freedom Story of the Naacp (1962)
Children's books in order
The First Book of Jazz (1955)
Famous Negro Heroes of America (1958)
The Langston Hughes Reader (1958)
Jazz (1982)
My People (2009)
The Negro Speaks of Rivers (2009)
I, Too, Am America (2012)
Poetry in order
The Weary Blues (1926)
Fine Clothes to the Jew (1927)
Selected Poems of Gabriela Mistral (1957)
Poems (1959)
Selected Poems (1959)
Ask Your Mama (1961)
Langston Hughes (1964)
The Block (1995)
Carol of the Brown King (1998)
Songs for the Open Road (1998)
Let America Be America Again and Other Poems (2004)
Vintage Hughes (2004)
Plays in order
The Political Plays of Langston Hughes (2000)
Other books in order
Shakespeare in Harlem (1942)
Jim Crow's Last Stand (1943)
One-way Ticket (1949)
Montage of a Dream Deferred (1951)
The First Book of Negroes (1952)
Simple Stakes a Claim (1957)
The Book of Negro Folklore (1958)
The Book of Negro Humor (1958)
An African Treasury (1960)
Black Magic (1967)
Black Misery (2000)
Mulatto (2005)
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About Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. An early innovator of jazz poetry, Hughes is best known as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Langston Hughes FAQ
- How many books has Langston Hughes written?
- Langston Hughes published 7 novels, 2 novellas, 7 short story collections, 4 non-fiction books, 7 children's books, 12 poetry collections, 1 play and 12 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Langston Hughes's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with Poems.
- What is Langston Hughes's last book?
- Not Without Laughter (1968).
- What is Langston Hughes's most famous book?
- Poems (1959) is Langston Hughes's most widely read book.
- Can I read Langston Hughes's books for free?
- Yes. 2 books by Langston Hughes are in the public domain in the US and free to read online or download here.
Authors like Langston Hughes
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers, free texts from Project Gutenberg. Last updated September 2026.