Order of Book Series
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Practical Magic Books in Order

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman contains 4 books, published between 1995 and 2021. The first book is Practical Magic (1995) and the newest is The Book of Magic (2021). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
4
Published
1995–2021
Confirmed
4 of 4 titles
Pages on record
653 in 2 of 4 books
See all 4 books in order Printable Practical Magic checklist

Practical Magic is Alice Hoffman's four-book sequence about the Owens family, a line of women blamed for two centuries of misfortune in their Massachusetts town. The first novel, Practical Magic (1995), places the sisters Sally and Gillian with their elderly aunts, and each sister leaves the town in turn, one by marriage and one by running away. The Rules of Magic (2017), Magic Lessons (2020) and The Book of Magic (2021) complete the run. Witches and witchcraft are the constant subjects, and a chronological order exists apart from publication order.

How many Practical Magic books are there?

Practical Magic has 4 books, released between 1995 and 2021.

Practical Magic Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 4 Practical Magic 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 Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman, book 1 of the Practical Magic series (1995)
  2. Cover of The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman, book 2 of the Practical Magic series (2017)
  3. Cover of Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman, book 3 of the Practical Magic series (2020)
  4. Cover of The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman, book 4 of the Practical Magic series (2021)
  1. 1
    Practical Magic1995 · 286 pages · confirmed 4/4
    1995286
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    The Rules of Magic2017 · 367 pages · confirmed 4/4
    2017367
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Magic Lessons2020 · confirmed 4/4
    2020–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The Book of Magic2021 · confirmed 4/4
    2021–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Practical Magic Books in Chronological Order

In story order, Magic Lessons comes first and The Book of Magic comes last. Chronological order follows the events inside the story rather than the release dates. The 4 books below run in that in-universe sequence.

  1. 3
    Magic Lessons2020 · confirmed 4/4
    2020–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    The Rules of Magic2017 · 367 pages · confirmed 4/4
    2017367
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 1
    Practical Magic1995 · 286 pages · confirmed 4/4
    1995286
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The Book of Magic2021 · confirmed 4/4
    2021–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Do you have to read Practical Magic books in order?

You should read the Practical Magic books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Practical Magic book also stands alone.

What order should you read Practical Magic books in?

Read them in publication order, starting with Practical Magic (1995), the earliest published title. After it come The Rules of Magic (2017), Magic Lessons (2020) and The Book of Magic (2021). In the chronological order, Magic Lessons comes first.

What is the newest Practical Magic book?

The Book of Magic (2021) is the newest Practical Magic book released so far.

Is there a new Practical Magic book coming?

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

Award nominations for Practical Magic

Wikidata records 2 nominations for Practical Magic. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature2021Shortlistedfor Magic Lessons
  • Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature2018Shortlistedfor The Rules of Magic

Practical Magic at a glance

Paused
No new Practical Magic title has appeared for 5 years. The last was published in 2021.
Release pace
Practical Magic books have appeared about one every 9 years on average.
Length
653 pages across the 2 of 4 books with a recorded length, a median of 326 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Practical Magic books, 2 of 4, were published in the 2020s.
Corroboration
4 of the 4 titles appear in all four independent book listings.

What the Practical Magic books are about

2 of the 4 Practical Magic books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. No subject is tagged on more than one of them, so each one below describes a single book. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

More books by Alice Hoffman

The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.