Ted Hughes books in order
English poet and children's writer
- Lived
- 1930–1998
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Books
- 44
Ted Hughes published 3 novels, 1 novella, 1 short story collection, 1 non-fiction book, 5 children's books, 25 poetry collections, 2 plays and 6 other books, beginning with Birthday Letters (1998).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with Ted Hughes
Start here
Birthday Letters
Ted Hughes's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
Winter Pollen (1994)
Difficulties of a Bridegroom (1997)
The Shirley Hughes Collection (2000)
Novellas in order
River (1984)
Short story collections in order
Tales of the Early World (1988)
Non-fiction in order
Shakespeare and the Goddess of Complete (1992)
Children's books in order
Poetry Is (1970)
How the Whale Became and Other Stories (1989)
Ffangs the Vampire Bat and the Kiss of Truth (1990)
The Iron Giant (1999)
My Brother Bert (2009)
Poetry in order
Lupercal (1960)
Meet My Folks! (1961)
Here Today (1963)
Poetry in the Making (1969)
Crow (1970)
The Martyrdom of Bishop Farrar (1970)
Selected Poems, 1957-1967 (1974)
Cave Birds (1978)
Remains of Elmet (1979)
Under the North Star (1981)
Arvon Foundation Poetry Competition (1982)
The Rattle Bag (1982)
Flowers and Insects (1986)
Moortown Diary (1989)
Wolfwatching (1989)
The Essential Shakespeare (1991)
By Heart (1997)
The School Bag (1997)
Birthday Letters (1998)
Tales from Ovid (Faber Plays) (1999)
The Mermaid's Purse (1999)
New Selected Poems (2001)
The Cat and the Cuckoo (2002)
The Faber Hughes (Poet to Poet: An Essential Choice of Classic Verse) (2004)
Collected Poems for Children (2007)
Plays in order
Seneca's Oedipus (1972)
Euripides Alcestis (1999)
Other books in order
The Hawk in the Rain (1957)
The Earth-owl and Other Moon-people (1963)
Sean, the Fool, the Devil, and the Cats (1974)
The Iron Man (1985)
Moon Whales (1991)
The Iron Woman (1993)
About Ted Hughes
Edward James Hughes was an English poet, translator, and children's writer. Critics frequently rank him as one of the best poets of his generation and one of the twentieth century's greatest writers. He was appointed Poet Laureate in 1984 and held the office until his death. In 2008, The Times ranked Hughes fourth on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Ted Hughes FAQ
- How many books has Ted Hughes written?
- Ted Hughes published 3 novels, 1 novella, 1 short story collection, 1 non-fiction book, 5 children's books, 25 poetry collections, 2 plays and 6 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Ted Hughes's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with Birthday Letters.
- What is Ted Hughes's last book?
- The Shirley Hughes Collection (2000).
- What is Ted Hughes's most famous book?
- Birthday Letters (1998) is Ted Hughes's most widely read book.
Authors like Ted Hughes
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.