Richard Matheson Reading Order

35 books (1953–2018)

Richard Matheson's Anthologies series comprises 34 books spanning from 1954 to 2018, collecting science fiction, horror, and related stories across multiple publications. These volumes should be read in publication order, beginning with Star Science Fiction Stories No. 3 - F-675 and progressing through various anthology collections that showcase Matheson's contributions alongside work from other authors. The series is now complete.

Start with Star Science Fiction Stories No. 3 - F-675, the first of 34 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction March 1953 1953Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Star Science Fiction Stories No. 3 - F-675 1954Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Star Science Fiction Stories 3 1955Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Best of Science Fiction: No. 10 1964Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	If This Goes On 1965Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Fantastic Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine, January 1967 1967Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Space Suits & Gumshoes 1972Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Star Science Fiction Stories No. 5 1972Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	The Devil's Generation 1973Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Great Black Magic Stories 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Rod Serling's Other Worlds 1978Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	65 Great Spine Chillers 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Laughing Space: An Anthology of Science Fiction Humor 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Great Tales of Fantasy and Science Fiction 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Rod Serling's Night Gallery Reader 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	The Best Horror Stories from the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	The Monster Book of Monsters 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Hot Blood Tales of Erotic Horror 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	The Year's Best Fantasy: Second Annual Collection 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	Volume II: The Medusa In The Shield 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	An Exploration of Horror: Foundations of Fear 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	Foundations of Fear: Volume III: Visions of Fear 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	Robert Bloch: Appreciations of the Master 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	American Pulp 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	The Young Oxford Book of Nasty Endings 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	Taps and Sighs 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
27	Stranger: Dark Tales of Eerie Encounters 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
28	Kiss the Whip 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
29	Masques V 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
30	The Best of Cemetery Dance II 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
31	The Dead That Walk 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
32	Haunts: Reliquaries of the Dead 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
33	The Mammoth Book of Body Horror 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
34	The Time Traveler's Almanac 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
35	Flight or Fright 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

4 books (1992–1994)

The Foundations of Fear Anthology is a complete four-book series published between 1992 and 1994, edited by David G. Hartwell and featuring contributions from major science fiction and horror authors. Beginning with An Exploration of Horror: Foundations of Fear and continuing through three subsequent volumes, the series collects influential horror and dark fiction stories organized by thematic focus. Read the books in publication order, starting with the initial exploration volume followed by Shadows of Fear, Worlds of Fear, and Visions of Fear.

Start with An Exploration of Horror: Foundations of Fear(With: George R.R. Martin,Robert A. Heinlein,David G. Hartwell,Peter Straub,Daphne du Maurier,Clive Barker,Carlos Fuentes,Arthur Machen,Gerald Durrell), the first of 4 books in the Foundations of Fear Anthology series.

#	Title
1	An Exploration of Horror: Foundations of Fear(With: George R.R. Martin,Robert A. Heinlein,David G. Hartwell,Peter Straub,Daphne du Maurier,Clive Barker,Carlos Fuentes,Arthur Machen,Gerald Durrell) 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Foundations of Fear: Volume I: Shadows of Fear(By: Robert A. Heinlein,David G. Hartwell,Peter Straub,H.P. Lovecraft,Daphne du Maurier,Arthur Machen,Jean Ray,Harriet Prescott Spofford) 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Foundations of Fear: Volume II: Worlds of Fear(By: George R.R. Martin,David G. Hartwell,Thomas Hardy,Gertrude Atherton,Thomas M. Disch,Elizabeth Engstrom,Carlos Fuentes) 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Foundations of Fear: Volume III: Visions of Fear(With: David G. Hartwell,E.T.A. Hoffmann,Philip K. Dick,Clive Barker,Octavia E. Butler,Gerald Durrell) 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (2007–2007)

#	Title
1	Completely Doomed 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

4 books (1993–2007)

Richard Matheson's non-fiction series comprises four complete books published between 1993 and 2007, covering topics related to science fiction, horror, and reality. The series should be read in publication order, beginning with The Path and continuing through Mediums Rare, A Primer of Reality, and concluding with The Richard Matheson Companion. These works reflect Matheson's explorations beyond his acclaimed fiction writing into philosophical and practical subjects.

Start with The Path, the first of 4 books in the Non-Fiction series.

#	Title
1	The Path 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Mediums Rare 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	A Primer of Reality 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Richard Matheson Companion 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

18 books (1951–2002)

Richard Matheson's Short Stories/Novellas series comprises 18 works spanning from 1951 to 2002, collecting the author's darkest and most imaginative tales across science fiction and horror. Each entry stands alone as a complete story or novella, though reading them in publication order reveals the evolution of Matheson's distinctive voice and recurring themes of the uncanny and supernatural. The series includes classics like "Dress of White Silk," "Dance of the Dead," and "The Distributor," showcasing Matheson's mastery of suspense and the macabre. This complete collection is best approached chronologically from the first entry onward to appreciate how the author's craft developed over five decades of short fiction.

Start with Blood Son / Drink My Blood / Drink My Red Blood, the first of 18 books in the Short Stories/Novellas series.

#	Title
1	Blood Son / Drink My Blood / Drink My Red Blood 1951Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Dress of White Silk 1951Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Long Distance Call 1951Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Through Channels 1951Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Witch War 1951Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Disappearing Act 1953Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Legion of Plotters 1953Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Mad House 1953Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Slaughter House 1953Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Wet Straw 1953Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Dance of the Dead 1954Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Old Haunts 1957Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	The Children of Noah 1957Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	The Holiday Man 1957Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	The Distributor 1958Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	First Anniversary 1960Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	The Likeness of Julie 1962Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Pride(With: Richard Christian Matheson) 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

27 books (1954–2020)

Richard Matheson's Short Story Collections series spans 27 books published between 1954 and 2020, showcasing the master of science fiction and horror's most compelling shorter works. The series should be read in publication order, beginning with Born Of Man And Woman and progressing through multiple volumes including the Shock! anthology series, Duel, and the collected Twilight Zone and Kolchak scripts. This complete series features some of Matheson's most influential tales that defined the genres and inspired countless adaptations for film and television.

Start with Born Of Man And Woman, the first of 27 books in the Short Story Collections series.

#	Title
1	Born Of Man And Woman 1954Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Third From The Sun: Tales Of Science Fiction And Fantasy 1954Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Shores Of Space 1957Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Nightmare At 20,000 Feet 1961Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Shock!: Thirteen Tales To Thrill And Terrify 1961Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Shock Ii: Thirteen Tales To Haunt The Imagination 1964Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Shock Iii 1966Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Shock Waves 1970Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Duel 1971Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Collected Stories, Vol. 1 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	By The Gun 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	The Twilight Zone Scripts 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Kolchak Scripts 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Darker Places 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Collected Stories, Vol. 2 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Collected Stories, Vol. 3 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Unrealized Dreams 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Bloodlines 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Button, Button: Uncanny Stories 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	Visions Of Death: Richard Matheson's Edgar Allan Poe Scripts, Vol. 1 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	The Box 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	Visions Deferred 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	Richard Matheson Uncollected: Backteria And Other Improbable Tales 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	Steel And Other Stories 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	Road Rage(With: Stephen King,Joe Hill,Chris Ryall) 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	The Best Of Richard Matheson 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
27	Off Beat: Uncollected Stories 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

31 books (1953–2013)

Richard Matheson's 31 standalone novels span from 1953 to 2013, showcasing the prolific author's range across science fiction and horror. Though each novel stands independently, reading them in publication order provides the fullest perspective on Matheson's evolving storytelling across six decades. The collection includes his most iconic works such as I Am Legend, The Incredible Shrinking Man, Hell House, Somewhere in Time, and What Dreams May Come, along with lesser-known gems that demonstrate his mastery of suspense, supernatural themes, and speculative concepts.

Start with Fury on Sunday, the first of 31 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	Fury on Sunday 1953Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Someone is Bleeding 1953Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	I Am Legend / The Omega Man 1954Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Woman / Third from the Sun / Born of Man 1954Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Incredible Shrinking Man / The Shrinking Man 1956Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	A Stir of Echoes 1958Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Ride the Nightmare 1959Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Beardless Warriors of World War II 1960Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Comedy of Terrors 1964Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Hell House 1971Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	The Night Stalker 1973Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	The Night Strangler 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Somewhere In Time / Bid Time Return 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	What Dreams May Come 1978Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Earthbound 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Journal of the Gun Years 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	7 Steps to Midnight 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	The Gun Fight 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Shadow on the Sun 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	Now You See It... 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	The Memoirs of Wild Bill Hickok 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	Hunger and Thirst 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	Passion Play 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	Camp Pleasant 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	Abu and the 7 Marvels(With: William Stout) 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	Hunted Past Reason 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
27	Come Fygures, Come Shadowes 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
28	The Link 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
29	Other Kingdoms 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
30	Generations 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
31	Leave Yesterday Alone 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (1987–1991)

Richard Matheson's The Dark Descent is a complete trilogy of science fiction and horror that spans from 1987 to 1991. The three volumes—The Color of Evil, The Medusa In The Shield, and A Fabulous, Formless Darkness—should be read in publication order to experience the series as intended. This interconnected collection represents Matheson's exploration of darker themes within the speculative fiction genre.

Start with Volume I: The Color of Evil and read in order.

#	Title
1	Volume I: The Color of Evil 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Volume II: The Medusa In The Shield 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Volume III:A Fabulous, Formless Darkness 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible