L.J. Smith Books in Order
L.J. Smith has written 54 books, published between 1987 and 2014. The first book is The Night of the Solstice (1987) and the newest is Paradise Lost (2014). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 54
- Published
- 1987–2014
- Confirmed
- 3 of 54 titles
- Pages on record
- 9,355 in 34 of 54 books
- Reading time
- 156–234 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 9,355 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 34 of 54 titles with a page count on record.
Lisa Jane Smith (1958-2025), writing as L.J. Smith, produced young adult horror and fantasy about vampires, witches and the supernatural. The Vampire Diaries is her best known series and was adapted for television; Night World, the Secret Circle and Dark Visions sit beside it. Both The Vampire Diaries and Night World reached the New York Times bestseller list, and Smith's books took five award nominations. Fifty-four titles run from The Night of the Solstice (1987) to Paradise Lost (2014).
How many L.J. Smith books are there?
L.J. Smith has 54 books, released between 1987 and 2014. They include 12 separate series.
L.J. Smith Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 54 L.J. Smith 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.
- 11987–2/4
- 21990–2/4
- 319912722/4
- 419913042/4
- 519913042/4
- 619913112/4
- 719923112/4
- 819923062/4
- 919923202/4
- 1019942302/4
- 1119942403/4
- 1219942263/4
- 1319942283/4
- 1419952122/4
- 1519952112/4
- 1619962282/4
- 1719962282/4
- 1819962272/4
- 1919962092/4
- 2019972112/4
- 2119972082/4
- 2219972262/4
- 2319972272/4
- 2419982272/4
- 252009–2/4
- 2620096082/4
- 27Matt and Elena: Tenth Date on Wickery PondVampire Diaries Fan Fiction & Extras #12010 · confirmed 2/42010–2/4
- 2820102372/4
- 292010–2/4
- 302010–2/4
- 312010–2/4
- 322010–2/4
- 332010–2/4
- 342010–2/4
- 352010–2/4
- 3620114322/4
- 372011–2/4
- 3820113922/4
- 392011–2/4
- 402011–2/4
- 4120112412/4
- 422011–2/4
- 432011–2/4
- 442012–2/4
- 4520122922/4
- 462012–2/4
- 4720122722/4
- 4820122222/4
- 492012–2/4
- 5020133062/4
- 5120133082/4
- 5220132772/4
- 5320143022/4
- 542014–2/4
L.J. Smith series and characters in order
Each link below opens a reading-order page with every book in publication order.
- Secret Circle books in order 6 books
- The Vampire Diaries books in order 19 books
- Night World books in order 10 books
L.J. Smith books grouped by series
Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. A group whose heading is a link has its own reading-order page; the other groups have no page of their own on this site.
Night World books in order
9 books by L.J. SmithVampire Diaries Fan Fiction & Extras in order
8 booksVampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries in order
6 books- 1. Origins
- 2. Bloodlust
- 3. The Craving
- 4. The Ripper
- 5. The Asylum
- 6. The Compelled
Vampire Diaries books in order
4 books by L.J. Smith- 1. The Awakening
- 2. The Struggle
- 3. The Fury
- 4. Dark Reunion
Dark Visions in order
3 booksVampire Diaries: The Return in order
3 books- 1. Nightfall
- 2. Shadow Souls
- 3. Midnight
Night World: Extras in order
3 booksVampire Diaries: The Hunters in order
3 books- 1. Phantom
- 2. Moonsong
- 3. Destiny Rising
Vampire Diaries: The Salvation in order
3 booksPoint Horror in order
3 books- 43. The Hunter
- 48. The Chase
- 51. The Kill
Wildworld in order
2 booksNight World Companion in order
1 bookDo you have to read L.J. Smith books in order?
You only need to read L.J. Smith books in order within each series: the books listed here span 12 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.
Where to start with L.J. Smith
Start with the first book of the L.J. Smith series you want to read: Secret Circle starts with The Initiation (1992), The Vampire Diaries starts with The Awakening (1991) and Night World starts with Secret Vampire / Night World (1996). The earliest catalogued title overall is The Night of the Solstice (1987).
What is the newest L.J. Smith book?
Paradise Lost (2014) is the newest L.J. Smith book released so far.
Is there a new L.J. Smith book coming?
No next L.J. Smith book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
L.J. Smith at a glance
- Died
- L.J. Smith died in 2025, according to Wikidata.
- Last book
- The newest book credited to L.J. Smith on record dates from 2014.
- Release pace
- L.J. Smith books have appeared more than one a year on average.
- Length
- 9,355 pages across the 34 of 54 books with a recorded length, a median of 240 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most L.J. Smith books, 28 of 54, were published in the 2010s.
What the L.J. Smith books are about
43 of the 54 L.J. Smith books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: vampires is tagged on 26 of 43. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Vampires 26 of 43 books
- Horror 25 of 43 books
- Children's fiction 24 of 43 books
- Love 10 of 43 books
- Brothers 9 of 43 books
- Witches 9 of 43 books
- Supernatural 7 of 43 books
- Fantasy 6 of 43 books
- Horror & Ghost Stories 5 of 43 books
- Interpersonal relations 5 of 43 books