Lee Smith Reading Order

7 books (1991–2014)

Lee Smith edited seven non-fiction anthologies between 1991 and 2014, all of which are now complete. These collections span diverse topics including Southern life, literary reflections on Eudora Welty, contemporary short fiction, and holiday stories from Southern writers. Read them in publication order beginning with Growing Up in the South, followed by Downhome, Out of the Mold, Eudora Welty: Writers' Reflections Upon First Reading Welty, The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction, A Very Southern Christmas: Holiday Stories from the South's Best Writers, and concluding with The Casual Reader.

Start with Growing Up in the South, the first of 7 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Growing Up in the South 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Downhome 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Out of the Mold 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Eudora Welty: Writers' Reflections Upon First Reading Welty 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	A Very Southern Christmas: Holiday Stories from the South's Best Writers 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Casual Reader 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

20 books (1988–2010)

New Stories from the South is a complete anthology series spanning twenty volumes published between 1988 and 2010. Each annual edition features short fiction from Southern writers, with different guest editors helming the collections throughout the series' run. Read the books in publication order to follow the evolution of Southern short fiction across more than two decades. The series concludes with the 2010 edition and should be approached as individual annual collections rather than as a continuous narrative.

Start with New Stories from the South(By: Shannon Ravenel), the first of 20 books in the New Stories From The South series.

#	Title
1	New Stories from the South(By: Shannon Ravenel) 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	New Stories from the South 1992(By: Shannon Ravenel) 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	New Stories from the South 1993(By: Shannon Ravenel) 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	New Stories from the South 1994(By: Shannon Ravenel) 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	New Stories from the South 1995(By: Shannon Ravenel) 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	New Stories from the South 1996(By: Shannon Ravenel) 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	New Stories from the South 1997(By: Robert Olen Butler) 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	New Stories from the South 1998(By: Padgett Powell) 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	New Stories from the South 1999(By: Tony Earley) 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	New Stories from the South 2000(By: Ellen Douglas) 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	New Stories from the South 2001 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	New Stories from the South 2003(By: Shannon Ravenel) 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	New Stories from the South 2004(By: Allan Gurganus) 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Best of the South: From the Second Decade of New Stories from the South(By: Shannon Ravenel) 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	New Stories from the South, 2005(By: Jill McCorkle) 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	New Stories from the South 2006(By: Allan Gurganus,Kathy Pories) 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	New Stories from the South 2007(By: Allan Gurganus) 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	New Stories from the South 2008(By: Z.Z. Packer) 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	New Stories from the South 2009(By: Madison Smartt Bell) 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	New Stories from the South 2010(By: Amy Hempel) 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2012–2016)

Lee Smith's two-book non-fiction series consists of Conversations with Lee Smith (2012) and Dimestore: A Writer's Life (2016). Both works should be read in publication order, beginning with Conversations with Lee Smith. The series is complete and offers insight into the acclaimed author's life and writing.

Start with Conversations with Lee Smith and read in order.

#	Title
1	Conversations with Lee Smith 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Dimestore: A Writer's Life 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (1996–2020)

Lee Smith's short story collection series consists of two books published across two decades, beginning with The Christmas Letters in 1996 and concluding with Blue Marlin in 2020. These standalone works should be read in publication order for the best experience. The complete series offers a finished body of work spanning the author's career in short fiction and novellas.

Start with The Christmas Letters and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Christmas Letters 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Blue Marlin 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

4 books (1981–2010)

Lee Smith's Short Story Collections series comprises four volumes of short fiction published between 1981 and 2010. The complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with Cakewalk and continuing through Me and My Baby View the Eclipse, News of the Spirit, and concluding with Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger. These collections showcase Smith's storytelling across three decades of literary work.

Start with Cakewalk, the first of 4 books in the Short Story Collections series.

#	Title
1	Cakewalk 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Me and My Baby View the Eclipse 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	News of the Spirit 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

12 books (1969–2023)

Lee Smith's standalone novels span more than five decades, from 1969 to 2023, collecting twelve distinct works that can be read independently in any order. While each book stands alone as a complete story, reading them in publication order provides a natural progression through the author's evolving style and thematic interests. The series includes Last Day the Dogbushes Bloomed, Fancy Strut, Black Mountain Breakdown, Oral History, Family Linen, Fair and Tender Ladies, The Devil's Dream, Saving Grace, The Last Girls, On Agate Hill, Guests on Earth, and Silver Alert, likely representing the complete collection of Smith's novels.

Start with Last Day the Dogbushes Bloomed, the first of 12 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	Last Day the Dogbushes Bloomed 1969Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Fancy Strut 1973Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Black Mountain Breakdown 1980Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Oral History 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Family Linen 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Fair and Tender Ladies 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Devil's Dream 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Saving Grace 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	The Last Girls 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	On Agate Hill 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Guests on Earth 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Silver Alert 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible