W. B. Yeats published 2 novels, 2 novellas, 3 short story collections, 12 non-fiction books, 2 children's books, 21 poetry collections, 8 plays and 11 other books, beginning with The Celtic Twilight (1893). The best-known is Poems: Second Series (1899).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with W. B. Yeats
Start here
Poems: Second Series
W. B. Yeats's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
The Book of Fantasy (1940)
The Evil Image (1981)
Novellas in order
John Sherman, and Dhoya (1891)
Gitanjali (song Offerings) (1910)
Short story collections in order
The Secret Rose (1897)
Stories of Red Hanrahan (1904)
Mythologies (1959)
Non-fiction in order
The Celtic Twilight (1893)
The Wind Among the Reeds (1899)
The Cutting of an Agate (1912)
Four Years (1921)
Plays and Controversies (1923)
Essays (1924)
Letters to the New Island (1934)
Autobiography (1936)
Dramatis Personae, 1896-1902 (1936)
Essays of the Masters (1956)
Druid Craft (1971)
Children's books in order
Irish Fairy and Folk Tales (1900)
William Butler Yeats (1959)
Poetry in order
The Wanderings of Oisin (1889)
A Book of Irish Verse (1895)
Poems: Second Series (1899)
Ideas of Good and Evil (1903)
In the Seven Woods (1903)
The Hour-glass (1903)
The King's Threshold (1904)
Poems, 1899-1905 (1906)
Responsibilities (1914)
The Wild Swans at Coole (1917)
Later Poems (1922)
Seven Poems and a Fragment (1922)
Autobiographies (1926)
The Tower (1928)
The King of the Great Clock Tower (1934)
New Poems (1938)
Last Poems & Plays (1940)
The Variorum Edition of the Poems of W. B. Yeats (1968)
The Poetry of Cats (1974)
Plays in order
The Land of Heart's Desire (1900)
Where There Is Nothing (1902)
Cathleen Ni Houlihan (1906), with Augusta, Lady Gregory
Deirdre (1911)
Collected Plays (1934)
The Words Upon the Window Pane (1934)
Wheels and Butterflies (1934)
The Herne's Egg (1938)
Other books in order
Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry (1888)
Irish Fairy Tales (1892)
The Countess Kathleen (1892)
Gods and Fighting Men: The Story of the Tuatha De Danaan and of the Fianna of Ireland (1905)
Per Amica Silentia Lunae (1918)
Leda and the Swan (1935)
A Vision (1937)
If I Were Four-and-twenty (1940)
Fairy Folk Tales of Ireland (1977)
Fairy and Folk Tales of Ireland (1983)
Countess Cathleen (2017)
Free to read
All free classicsThe Collected Works in Verse and Prose of William Butler Yeats, Vol. 1 (of 8)
The Collected Works in Verse and Prose of William Butler Yeats, Vol. 4 (of 8)
The Trembling of the Veil
The Unicorn from the Stars and Other Plays
The Collected Works in Verse and Prose of William Butler Yeats, Vol. 2 (of 8)
The Collected Works in Verse and Prose of William Butler Yeats, Vol. 5 (of 8)
The Collected Works in Verse and Prose of William Butler Yeats, Vol. 8 (of 8)
The Collected Works in Verse and Prose of William Butler Yeats, Vol. 7 (of 8)
Rosa Alchemica
The Collected Works in Verse and Prose of William Butler Yeats, Vol. 3 (of 8)
The Collected Works in Verse and Prose of William Butler Yeats, Vol. 6 (of 8)
Discoveries
Mosada
John Sherman
About W. B. Yeats
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and literary critic who was one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and, along with John Millington Synge and Lady Gregory, founded the Abbey Theatre, serving as its chief during its early years. He was awarded the 1923 Nobel Prize in Literature and later served two terms as a Senator of the Irish Free State.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
W. B. Yeats FAQ
- How many books has W. B. Yeats written?
- W. B. Yeats published 2 novels, 2 novellas, 3 short story collections, 12 non-fiction books, 2 children's books, 21 poetry collections, 8 plays and 11 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read W. B. Yeats's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with Poems: Second Series.
- What is W. B. Yeats's last book?
- The Book of Fantasy (1940).
- What is W. B. Yeats's most famous book?
- Poems: Second Series (1899) is W. B. Yeats's most widely read book.
- Can I read W. B. Yeats's books for free?
- Yes. 38 books by W. B. Yeats are in the public domain in the US and free to read online or download here.
Authors like W. B. Yeats
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers, free texts from Project Gutenberg. Last updated September 2026.