The Bronte Sisters Books in Order
The Bronte sisters published seven novels between them, and 1847 alone saw three of them - Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey, all under male-sounding pseudonyms (Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell) - land on Victorian England at once. Charlotte's Jane Eyre became the bestseller; Emily's Wuthering Heights became the one critics could not place and later readers could not put down; Anne's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, the proto-feminist argument of the shelf, was the one Charlotte suppressed. The order question is not sequence - each book stands alone - but which sister to start with and how the three 1847 novels relate, which this page maps (1847–1857).
Where to start
Jane Eyre (1847), the door most readers come through - the first-person voice that set the template. Readers wanting the wild one: Wuthering Heights. Readers wanting the overlooked one: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.
The complete list
Tick the boxes off as you read, or for the bookshelf.
| Year | Title | Series / type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1847 | Jane Eyre | Charlotte — the template | |
| 1847 | Wuthering Heights | Emily — her only novel | |
| 1847 | Agnes Grey | Anne — the quiet 1847 novel | |
| 1848 | The Tenant of Wildfell Hall | Anne — the proto-feminist argument | |
| 1849 | Shirley | Charlotte — written in grief | |
| 1853 | Villette | Charlotte — the critics' favorite | |
| 1857 | The Professor | Charlotte — written first, published last |
Does the reading order matter?
No sequence required - all seven are standalones, even the two that share a world (Wuthering Heights spans two generations inside one book). The full shelf by sister: Charlotte - Jane Eyre (1847), Shirley (1849), Villette (1853), The Professor (written first, published posthumously 1857); Emily - Wuthering Heights (1847), her only novel; Anne - Agnes Grey (1847), The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848). Reading the three 1847 novels side by side is the classic route: Jane Eyre for the governess line, Wuthering Heights for the moors, Agnes Grey for the quiet version Charlotte's version overshadowed. Publication order across sisters, 1847 into 1857, works as well as any. The poetry - the 1846 Poems by Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell, paid for by the sisters themselves - sold two copies, and is where Emily's real reputation lives with scholars
Which one is the best?
Jane Eyre (1847), the voice; Wuthering Heights (1847), the immortal one; The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848), Anne's argument, now rescued from Charlotte's suppression.
Covered in depth here
An 8-question quiz, reading time, club questions and verified quotes for Jane Eyre (how long), Wuthering Heights (how long).
Related guides
Readers finishing this shelf usually want the map next door: Charlotte Brontë books in order, Jane Austen books in order, Charles Dickens books in order. Every guide follows the same format — the shelf, the entry point, the honest answer about order.
Make it a project
Pick a session size and let the days accumulate — at the pace our reading speed test measures, most shelves above clear in a few weeks of half-hours. Every guide on the books in order shelf follows this same format, and when a book lands, its 8-question quiz is waiting on the original book quiz.
Frequently asked questions
What order should you read The Bronte Sisters books in?
All standalones; by sister is the usual map. The three 1847 novels are the core.
Where should I start with The Bronte Sisters?
Jane Eyre (1847) or Wuthering Heights (1847) - either door works.
How many The Bronte Sisters books are there?
Seven novels across three sisters (Charlotte four, Emily one, Anne two), plus the 1846 joint Poems - published in two years' concentration, 1847-48, by three daughters of a Yorkshire parson, all before forty. As of October 2026 this list is current.
What was The Bronte Sisters's first book?
Jane Eyre (1847) — the first row of the list above.