Mickey Spillane Books In Order

Publication Order of Mike Hammer Books

Publication Order of Tiger Mann Books

Publication Order of Caleb York Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of's Mike Hammer Graphic Novels

Publication Order of Bibliomysteries Books

Chronological Order of Bibliomysteries Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Mickey Spillane had a different flair for writing. He developed and perfected the PI (private investigator) genre. His novels were classified as thrillers, mysteries, or dramas. He had a global following. Readers around the world embraced his writings. He experienced monumental success as a writer. He sold more than two hundred million novels. At one time, seven of his novels were on the top fifteen list of novels in America. Movies and TV series were based on his novels. Not only was he a writer, but he portrayed his main characters in movies and TV shows. He was involved in the production of the movies that were based on his novels. Despite having such a successful writing career, he did not receive many literary awards. He did receive the Edgar Allen Poe Grand Master Award for Mystery Writers and the Junior Literary Guild Award. His writings were criticized by literary experts, but people admired his work. He was considered a celebrity.

He was named Frank Morrison Spillane when he was born in Brooklyn, New York. His father insisted that he was to be baptized as Frank Michael Spillane. The father wanted his son’s name to reflect his Irish heritage. Later in life, Spillane decided to be called Mickey because he thought the ladies would like it better.
During his childhood, the family moved from New York to Elizabeth, New Jersey. Mickey grew up in a tough neighborhood. He spent an enormous amount of time reading in the safety of his living room. By the age of eleven, he had read the complete works of Dumas and Melville. At the age of fourteen, he began his writing career. He worked as a journalist for the Elizabeth Daily Journal. Spillane practiced and perfected his writing craft by writing comic books. He wrote for the “Batman”, “Superman”, and “Captain America” series. After high school, he attended Kansas State College on a football scholarship. He was a competitive swimmer. He dropped out of college. The day after Pearl Harbor, Spillane joined the Army Air Corps as a fighter pilot. He did not leave the states to fight in World War II. He trained cadets to become fighter pilots. After the war, Spillane continued to fly as a civil pilot. For a brief time, Spillane worked for the Barnum and Bailey Circus as a trampoline artist and a knife-thrower. One time he was shot out of a cannon. After the circus, Spillane worked undercover for the FBI to help crack a narcotics ring.

After these short term stints in the circus and FBI, Spillane returned to writing. He began working on his novels. Elements of previous jobs and experiences are found in some of his novels. Mike Hammer was the central crime fighter in a series of novels. Spillane wrote graphic novels about crime fighters. A circus was used as a setting in “The Girl Hunters”. A narcotics dealer was the nemesis of Mike Hammer in “Kiss Me Deadly”. Fawcett Gold Medal Books published Mickey Spillane’s novels. Fawcett was interested in publishing new original works in paperback books. Most books at this time were reprints of the classics. Spillane’s style was a perfect fit for the company. His first novel “I, the Jury” (which he wrote in nine days) introduced readers to the famous crime fighting fictional detective, Mike Hammer. Hammer was a tough-guy who used his own form of justice. This character was loosely based on a real Texas Ranger named Frank Hamer. In this novel, an old friend of Mike Hammer was murdered. He tried to find the killer while obstacles kept hindering his progress. This novel combined big guns, gory violence, and a splash of sex appeal. There was nothing in print like this. The novel sold out quickly. People were intrigued by this new style of writing.

Spillane based other novels such as “My Gun is Quick”, “The Big Kill”, and “Kiss Me Deadly” on ideas that he introduced in “I, the Jury” such as murder, danger, and double-crossing females. These novels were also reflection of political views during the Cold War. In these novels, Mike Hammer went after communists, spies, and women who were stealing atomic bomb secrets. His secretary/assistant/girlfriend named Velda played important roles in the Mike Hammer novels. Spillane wrote a short lived comic strip entitled “From the Files of ………Mike Hammer. Despite being denounced in churches and on the Senate floor, the Mike Hammer series was well-received by the general public.

The Mike Hammer series did well in radio shows, movies and on TV. Four TV series about Mike Hammer were launched between the years of 1958 and 1998. Ten of Spillane’s novels were used in movies. “I, the Jury” has been released twice. “Kiss Me Deadly” had a large following and was considered to be a classic. The plot was based on a narcotics dealer who had decided to steal an atomic bomb.
After Spillane took a ten year break from writing, he wrote “Day of the Guns”. This book introduced another main character, Tiger Mann, who was a super spy similar to James Bond. Mann was extremely anti-communist and violent. Mann was an agent who loved danger and solved mysteries. Mickey Spillane returned to writing about Mike Hammer. “The Killing Man” was the final novel that was released about Mike Hammer.

Following another ten year break from writing, Mickey Spillane accepted a friend’s dare and earned a literary award for his efforts. His friend challenged him to write a children’s book. Spillane wrote “The Day the Sea Rolled Back”. In this novel, a father and his son discovered a shipwreck that was filled with treasure. They encountered many problems trying to retrieve the treasure until something magical happened. It was written from the child’s viewpoint. Mickey Spillane was awarded the Junior Literary Guild Award. He followed this book with “The Ship That Never Was” which was another children’s book.

Mickey Spillane demonstrated his gifted ability to write in various genres. He was a journalist, a graphic novelist, a crime fighting mystery writer, and a children’s author. He used innovative approaches in developing the PI genre. At one point in time, he was known as the only PI genre writer and the “King of Pulp Fiction”.

One Response to “Mickey Spillane”

1. sanjit das: 2 years ago

   its a pity that there will never be another guy like mike hammer

   Reply