Order of Book Series
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Jon Hassler Books in Order

23 books are credited to Jon Hassler, published between 1977 and 2021; 1 of them appeared after Jon Hassler's death in 2008. The first book is Four Miles to Pinecone (1977) and the newest is Days Like Smoke (2021). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
23
Published
1977–2021
Pages on record
4,453 in 17 of 23 books
Reading time
74–111 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 4,453 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 17 of 23 titles with a page count on record.

See all 23 books in order Printable Jon Hassler checklist

Jon Hassler (1933-2008) was an American novelist and teacher who wrote about small-town life in Minnesota. Staggerford, an imaginary Minnesota town, gives its name to his main series and to the 1977 novel that opens it; Rookery State College is a second sequence. Teachers, Catholics, friendship, town custom and Native American life run through 23 catalogued books dated 1977 to 2021, at a median 282 pages. Hassler held a Regents professorship emeritus and a writer-in-residence post at St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota.

How many Jon Hassler books are there?

Jon Hassler has 23 books, released between 1977 and 2021. 1 of them were published after Jon Hassler's death in 2008. They include 2 series and 15 titles listed outside any series.

Jon Hassler Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 23 Jon Hassler books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of Simon's Night by Jon Hassler (1979)
  2. Cover of Jemmy by Jon Hassler (1980)
  3. Cover of The Love Hunter by Jon Hassler (1981)
  4. Cover of A Green Journey by Jon Hassler, book 2 of the Staggerford series (1984)
  5. Cover of Grand Opening by Jon Hassler (1987)
  6. Cover of North of Hope by Jon Hassler (1990)
  7. Cover of Dear James by Jon Hassler, book 3 of the Staggerford series (1993)
  8. Cover of Rookery Blues by Jon Hassler, book 1 of the Rookery State College series (1995)
  9. Cover of Dean's List by Jon Hassler, book 2 of the Rookery State College series (1997)
  10. Cover of Underground Christmas by Jon Hassler (1998)
  11. Cover of Keepsakes and Other Stories by Jon Hassler (1999)
  12. Cover of My Staggerford Journal by Jon Hassler (1999)
  13. Cover of Rufus at the Door by Jon Hassler (2000)
  14. Cover of Good People by Jon Hassler (2001)
  15. Cover of Churches of Minnesota by Jon Hassler (2005)
  1. 1
    Four Miles to Pinecone1977 · confirmed 1/4
    1977–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    StaggerfordStaggerford #11977 · 341 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1977341
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Simon's Night1979 · 312 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1979312
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Jemmy1980 · 175 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1980175
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    The Love Hunter1981 · 311 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1981311
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    A Green JourneyStaggerford #21984 · 282 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1984282
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Grand Opening1987 · 326 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1987326
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    An Interview With Jon Hassler1990 · confirmed 1/4
    1990–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    North of Hope1990 · 518 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1990518
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Dear JamesStaggerford #31993 · 438 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1993438
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Christmas eve in Omaha1994 · confirmed 1/4
    1994–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Rookery BluesRookery State College #11995 · 484 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1995484
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Dean's ListRookery State College #21997 · 396 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1997396
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Underground Christmas1998 · 62 pages · confirmed 1/4
    199862
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 16
    My Staggerford Journal1999 · 100 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1999100
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 17
    Rufus at the Door2000 · 126 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2000126
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 18
    Good People2001 · 120 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2001120
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 19
    The Staggerford FloodStaggerford #42002 · 216 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2002216
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 20
    The Staggerford MurdersStaggerford #52004 · confirmed 1/4
    2004–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 21
    Churches of Minnesota2005 · 128 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2005128
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 22
    The New WomanStaggerford #62005 · confirmed 1/4
    2005–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 23
    Days Like Smoke2021 · confirmed 1/4
    2021–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Jon Hassler books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

Staggerford in order

6 books
  1. 1. Staggerford
  2. 2. A Green Journey
  3. 3. Dear James
  4. 4. The Staggerford Flood
  5. 5. The Staggerford Murders
  6. 6. The New Woman

Rookery State College in order

2 books
  1. 1. Rookery Blues
  2. 2. Dean's List

Standalone books

15 books

15 Jon Hassler titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Jon Hassler books in order?

You only need to read Jon Hassler books in order within each series: the books listed here span 2 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Jon Hassler

Start with Four Miles to Pinecone (1977), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Jon Hassler book?

Days Like Smoke (2021) is the newest Jon Hassler book released so far.

Is there a new Jon Hassler book coming?

No next Jon Hassler book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Jon Hassler at a glance

Died
Jon Hassler died in 2008, according to Wikidata.
After death
Books credited to Jon Hassler are still being published after Jon Hassler's death in 2008; the newest appeared in 2021.
Release pace
Jon Hassler books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
Length
4,453 pages across the 17 of 23 books with a recorded length, a median of 282 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Jon Hassler books, 9 of 23, were published in the 1990s.

What the Jon Hassler books are about

17 of the 23 Jon Hassler books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: staggerford (minn. : imaginary place) is tagged on 5 of 17. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.