Author Guide · Music Memoir & Fiction
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In October 2013 the former singer of the Smiths published his memoir, at his own request, under an imprint normally reserved for dead authors: Penguin Classics. Autobiography entered the UK book chart at number one, selling nearly 35,000 copies in its first week. Morrissey had been writing long before he was famous, with two short booklets for the small publisher Babylon Books in the early 1980s. Two years after the memoir came a novel, List of the Lost, which won a prize no author wants. This guide covers his 2 key books, in order, and where to begin.
By Lisanne Swart · 2 key books · 2013–2015 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Morrissey has published two full-length books: Autobiography (2013), his memoir, which went straight to number one in the UK, and the novel List of the Lost (2015). Before the Smiths he wrote two short booklets, on the New York Dolls and on James Dean. Start with Autobiography.
Where to Start with Morrissey
If you want his life and the Smiths
→ Autobiography (2013) — childhood, the band and the court case.
If you want his only fiction
→ List of the Lost (2015) — read it knowing its reputation.
2 Morrissey Books, in Order
Autobiography
His memoir of his childhood and adolescence, the Smiths (1982–1987) and his solo career, including a long account of the court case over royalties brought by the band’s former drummer, Mike Joyce. Penguin published it on 17 October 2013 as a Penguin Classic, a decision some critics objected to; it entered the UK chart at number one, with nearly 35,000 copies sold in its first week.
List of the Lost
His first novel, published by Penguin on 24 September 2015, follows a relay team in 1970s Boston whose members accidentally kill a homeless man. Reviews were largely negative, and in December 2015 it won the Literary Review’s Bad Sex in Fiction Award.
In What Order to Read Morrissey
Read Autobiography first. It is the book most readers come for, and it explains the preoccupations — the music business, the courts, the critics — that also run through the novel.
List of the Lost is short and stands on its own, but it is best read as a curiosity after the memoir. The early booklets on the New York Dolls and James Dean are hard to find and mainly of interest to collectors.
A reading path
1. Autobiography (2013)
2. List of the Lost (2015)
Everything Else Morrissey Published
Beyond the 2 key books: 2 more, grouped by kind.
Open a group with the + to see every book in it.
Early booklets (Babylon Books)
2
2 books · 1981
- 1981The New York Dollsa 24-page booklet that sold about 3,000 copies
- —James Dean Is Not Deadhis second booklet for the same small publisher
The years · 1959–2015
Quick facts about Morrissey
- Known for
- Morrissey is known as the singer and lyricist of the Smiths and as a solo artist, and for public statements that have often divided his audience.
- 1959
- Born in Old Trafford, Lancashire
- 1982
- Forms the Smiths with Johnny Marr
- 1988
- Solo debut Viva Hate reaches UK number one
- 1996
- Loses the High Court case brought by Mike Joyce
- 2013
- Autobiography
- 2015
- List of the Lost
- Born
- Steven Patrick Morrissey, 22 May 1959, Old Trafford, Lancashire, England
- Band
- The Smiths, 1982–1987, with Johnny Marr
- Solo debut
- Viva Hate (1988), UK number one
- First writing
- Booklets on the New York Dolls (1981) and James Dean for Babylon Books
- Memoir
- Autobiography (2013), Penguin Classics, UK number one
- Novel
- List of the Lost (2015), Penguin
The red mark is 2013: Autobiography, published as a Penguin Classic.
How Morrissey Writes: The Lyricist in Prose
Autobiography is written as one continuous text with no chapter divisions; its opening paragraph alone runs to about four and a half pages. Critics often singled out the early part, on his childhood, while several felt the later sections, with their long accounts of disputes, weighed the book down.
The best-known example is his account of the court case over the Smiths’ royalties, heard at the High Court in December 1996, which Mike Joyce won. The judge described Morrissey as “devious, truculent and unreliable when his own interests were at stake”; in the book Morrissey gives his own side at length.
List of the Lost uses stream-of-consciousness narration. Its largely negative reviews, and the Bad Sex Award, mean it is best approached as a companion to the memoir rather than as a novel in its own right.
Frequently asked questions about Morrissey’s books
How many books has Morrissey written?
Two full-length books: Autobiography (2013) and the novel List of the Lost (2015). Before that he wrote two short booklets for Babylon Books, The New York Dolls (1981) and James Dean Is Not Dead.
What are Morrissey’s books in order?
The New York Dolls (1981) and James Dean Is Not Dead (booklets), then Autobiography (2013) and List of the Lost (2015).
Where should I start with Morrissey?
With Autobiography (2013), his memoir of his childhood, the Smiths and his solo career.
What is Morrissey’s most famous book?
Autobiography (2013). It entered the UK book chart at number one, with nearly 35,000 copies sold in its first week.
Why was Autobiography published as a Penguin Classic?
Penguin issued it under the Penguin Classics imprint in October 2013 at Morrissey’s request, although the imprint is normally reserved for authors who have died. Some critics objected to the decision; the book still went to number one in the UK.
Did Morrissey’s novel win the Bad Sex Award?
Yes. List of the Lost (2015) won the Literary Review’s Bad Sex in Fiction Award in December 2015.
Does Autobiography cover the Smiths court case?
Yes, at length. In 1996 the band’s former drummer, Mike Joyce, won a High Court case over royalties. The memoir gives his account of the case and its outcome.
Why is Morrissey controversial?
Mainly for his public statements. In 1984 he said the “only sorrow” of the Brighton hotel bombing was that Margaret Thatcher escaped unhurt, and in a 2017 Der Spiegel interview he criticised multiculturalism and questioned some Me Too accusations; he said the magazine had misquoted him. These views are not the subject of his books, but they shape how many readers approach them.
Is Morrissey still alive?
Yes. He was born on 22 May 1959.
Footnotes
- Morrissey — Wikipedia
- Autobiography (Morrissey book) — Wikipedia
- List of the Lost — Wikipedia
- Morrissey’s debut novel officially contains the worst literary sex scene of 2015 — Boing Boing
Bibliography last verified 9 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
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