Children’s Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Butch Elects a Mayor |
1969 |
Buy |
| Queen of England: The story of Elizabeth I |
1969 |
Buy |
| The Movers and Shakers: The Young Activists of the Sixties |
1982 |
Buy |
Helene Hanff Children’s Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Butch Elects a Mayor |
1969 |
Buy |
| Queen of England: The story of Elizabeth I |
1969 |
Buy |
| The Movers and Shakers: The Young Activists of the Sixties |
1982 |
Buy |
Helene Hanff Non-Fiction Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Underfoot in Show Business |
1962 |
Buy |
| 84, Charing Cross Road |
1970 |
Buy |
| The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street |
1973 |
Buy |
| Apple of My Eye |
1977 |
Buy |
| Q’s Legacy: A Delightful Account of a Lifelong Love Affair with Books |
1985 |
Buy |
| Letter from New York: BBC Woman’s Hour Broadcasts |
1992 |
Buy |
Non-Fiction#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Underfoot in Show Business |
1962 |
Buy |
| 84, Charing Cross Road |
1970 |
Buy |
| The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street |
1973 |
Buy |
| Apple of My Eye |
1977 |
Buy |
| Q’s Legacy: A Delightful Account of a Lifelong Love Affair with Books |
1985 |
Buy |
| Letter from New York: BBC Woman’s Hour Broadcasts |
1992 |
Buy |
Helene Hanff was a New York writer whose small body of work is anchored by one book that readers have loved for decades. 84, Charing Cross Road (1970) collects the letters she exchanged with Frank Doel and other staff at Marks & Co., a London antiquarian bookshop, between 1949 and 1969. What began as transatlantic book orders became a genuine friendship, and the published letters have a warmth and wit that has kept them in print ever since.
Hanff followed 84, Charing Cross Road with The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street (1973), an account of her first visit to London, and several other non-fiction works about her life as a reader and writer in New York. She also wrote children’s books and worked as a television scriptwriter. Her writing career was never prolific, but the affection readers feel for 84, Charing Cross Road has given her a lasting place in literary culture.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books has Helene Hanff written?
Helene Hanff has written eighteen books across four series.
What was Helene Hanff's first book?
Helene Hanff’s first book is Underfoot in Show Business, published in 1962.
What is 84, Charing Cross Road about?
84, Charing Cross Road is a collection of real letters exchanged over twenty years between Helene Hanff in New York and the staff of Marks & Co., an antiquarian bookshop in London. The correspondence evolved from book orders into a warm friendship conducted entirely by mail.