William Dean Howells books in order
American author, critic, and playwright
- Lived
- 1837–1920
- Country
- United States
- Books
- 101
William Dean Howells published 49 novels, 4 novellas, 10 short story collections, 19 non-fiction books, 5 children's books, 3 poetry collections, 1 play and 10 other books, beginning with Lives and Speeches of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin (1860). The best-known is The Oxford Book of American Essays (1914).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with William Dean Howells
Start here
The Oxford Book of American Essays
William Dean Howells's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
Italian Journeys (1867)
Literature and Life (1871)
Suburban Sketches (1871)
Their Wedding Journey (1872)
A Chance Acquaintance (1873)
A Foregone Conclusion (1875)
The Lady of The Aroostook (1879)
A Woman's Reason (1880)
The Undiscovered Country (1880)
Dr. Breen's Practice, a Novel (1881)
A Modern Instance (1882)
Out of the Question (1882)
The Rise of Silas Lapham (1885)
The Minister's Charge (1886)
April Hopes (1887)
A Sea-change (1888)
Annie Kilburn, a Novel (1888)
The Mouse-trap, and Other Farces (1889)
A Hazard of New Fortunes (1890)
The Shadow of a Dream (1890)
An Imperative Duty (1891)
The Quality of Mercy (1891)
The World of Chance (1892)
A Traveler from Altruria (1894)
The Day of Their Wedding (1895)
An Open-Eyed Conspiracy (1897)
The Landlord at Lion's Head (1897)
The Story of a Play (1898)
Ragged Lady (1899)
The Coast of Bohemia (1899)
Their Silver Wedding Journey (1899)
A Pair of Patient Lovers (1901)
Heroines of Fiction (1901)
The Kentons, a Novel (1902)
Letters Home (1903)
Mark Twain's Library of Humour (1903)
The Son of Royal Langbrith (1904)
Miss Bellard's Inspiration (1905)
Impressions and Experiences (1906)
Through the Eye of the Needle (1907)
The Whole Family (Oct 1908), with Henry James and Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman
Imaginary Interviews (1910)
New Leaf Mills (1913)
The Leatherwood God (1916)
Years of My Youth (1916)
The Vacation of the Kelwyns (1920)
Mrs. Farrell (1921)
Prefaces to Contemporaries, 1882-1920 (1957)
Mark Twain-Howells Letters (1960)
Novellas in order
Criticism and Fiction (1891)
My Literary Passions (1895)
Fennel and Rue (1908)
The Seen and Unseen at Stratford-on-Avon (1914)
Short story collections in order
A Day's Pleasure (1881)
A Fearful Responsibility (1881)
Indian Summer (1885)
Questionable Shapes (1895)
The Blindman's World (1898)
Shapes That Haunt the Dusk (1907)
Southern Lights and Shadows (1907)
The Daughter of the Storage (1916)
The Great Modern American Stories (1920)
Non-fiction in order
Lives and Speeches of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin (1860)
Venetian Life (1866)
Sketch of the Life and Character of Rutherford B. Hayes (1876)
Three Villages (1884)
Tuscan Cities (1885)
Editor's Study (1891)
A Little Swiss Sojourn (1892)
My Year in a Log Cabin (1893)
Stories of Ohio (1897)
London Films (1905)
Certain Delightful English Towns (1906)
Roman Holidays and Others (1906)
Seven English Cities (1909)
My Mark Twain (1910)
London Films and Certain Delightful English Towns (1911)
Familiar Spanish Travels (1913)
The Oxford Book of American Essays (1914)
Life of Abraham Lincoln (1938)
Children's books in order
A Boy's Town (1890)
The Howells Story Book (1900)
The Flight of Pony Baker (1902)
Christmas Every Day (1908)
Boy Life (1909)
Poetry in order
Poems (1873)
Modern Italian Poets (1887)
Lyrics Of Lowly Life (1896)
Plays in order
The Garroters (1885)
Other books in order
A Counterfeit Presentment (1882)
The Sleeping-car (1883)
The Elevator (1885)
Five O'clock Tea (1887)
A Letter of Introduction (1892)
An Indian Giver (1897)
Doorstep Acquaintance (1900)
Room Forty-five (1900)
The Parlor Car; And, The Sleeping Car (1911)
Buying a Horse (1916)
Free to read
All free classicsThe Man of Letters as a Man of Business
The Entire March Family Trilogy
Complete Project Gutenberg William Dean Howells Works
Certain delightful English towns, with glimpses of the pleasant country between
Short Stories and Essays (from Literature and Life)
Spanish Prisoners of War (from Literature and Life)
The Kentons
Dr. Breen's Practice
Emile Zola
Henry James, Jr.
About William Dean Howells
William Dean Howells was an American realist novelist, literary critic, playwright, and diplomat, nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters". He was particularly known for his tenure as editor of The Atlantic Monthly, as well as for the novels The Rise of Silas Lapham and A Traveler from Altruria, and the Christmas story "Christmas Every Day", which was adapted into a 1996 film of the same name.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
William Dean Howells FAQ
- How many books has William Dean Howells written?
- William Dean Howells published 49 novels, 4 novellas, 10 short story collections, 19 non-fiction books, 5 children's books, 3 poetry collections, 1 play and 10 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read William Dean Howells's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with The Oxford Book of American Essays.
- What is William Dean Howells's last book?
- Mrs. Farrell (1921).
- What is William Dean Howells's most famous book?
- The Oxford Book of American Essays (1914) is William Dean Howells's most widely read book.
- Can I read William Dean Howells's books for free?
- Yes. 41 books by William Dean Howells are in the public domain in the US and free to read online or download here.
Authors like William Dean Howells
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Charles Dickens
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Charles Darwin
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Guy de Maupassant
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Winston Churchill
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H. G. Wells
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Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers, free texts from Project Gutenberg. Last updated September 2026.