Helen Keller's Books: What She Wrote and Where to Read Them

Helen Keller's best-known book is her autobiography, The Story of My Life, published in 1903 while she was a student at Radcliffe College. It is one of four of her books on Project Gutenberg, where it is free to read online, and several more can be borrowed in braille or audio from the Library of Congress's National Library Service (NLS) if you are eligible. The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) names 13 books in all, from 1903 to 1957.

Below: the books in order, with the year of each and what it is about; which ones are on Project Gutenberg; and which ones NLS lists in braille or audio. Years come from the Library of Congress catalog and were checked against Project Gutenberg, NLS and AFB where those give them. Sources were read on October 30, 2026. For how she learned braille, see Helen Keller and braille; for the dates of her life, see Helen Keller facts.

Key points

• Her first books came out in 1903. The Story of My Life is dated 1903, and Optimism has "Published November, 1903" on its title page.
• AFB names 13 books, but also says 14. Its biography lists 13 titles; another AFB page says "Helen Keller wrote 14 books". We could not find the 14th, so this post covers the 13.
• Four are on Project Gutenberg: The Story of My Life (text and audio), Optimism, The World I Live In and The Song of the Stone Wall.
• NLS lists several in braille and audio, among them The Story of My Life, The World I Live In and Midstream. The service is free to eligible readers.
• Her later books are harder to find online. Gutenberg's Keller page does not list the books from 1913 on.

Her books at a glance

Sources: the Library of Congress catalog for the years (first editions), AFB's biography for the list of titles, and the NLS list below.

The Story of My Life (1903)

This is the book most people mean when they search for Helen Keller's autobiography. It follows her from her birth in Tuscumbia, Alabama, through her preparation for college, and it opens plainly: "It is with a kind of fear that I begin to write the history of my life."

The editor's preface says the book has three parts: her story, in 23 chapters; her letters, from 1887 to 1901; and a supplementary account of her education, with passages from the reports and letters of her teacher, Anne Sullivan. The editor, John Albert Macy, says he is responsible for the third part. The book is dedicated to Alexander Graham Bell.

Its best-known moment is her first understanding of language at the well-house. She writes that she "left the well-house eager to learn," and adds: "Everything had a name, and each name gave birth to a new thought." For how that day fits into her life, see Helen Keller and braille.

AFB says the book appeared in serial form in Ladies' Home Journal the year before, and that it has been translated into 50 languages and is still in print. NLS calls it "the first volume of her autobiography"; Midstream continues it.

Editions differ. The Gutenberg text is labeled "Special Edition," with additional chapters by Keller. The NLS braille and audio edition is a 2003 one with commentary by the editor Roger Shattuck.

Optimism (1903)

Optimism is a short essay in three parts: Optimism Within, Optimism Without and The Practice of Optimism. It is dedicated "To My Teacher." The title page of the New York edition from T. Y. Crowell says "Published November, 1903," and the Library of Congress lists the same year.

She wrote it near the end of her years at Radcliffe: "As my college days draw to a close, I find myself looking forward with beating heart and bright anticipations to what the future holds of activity for me." Her definition is practical: "Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be done without hope." For more of her words with their sources, see Helen Keller quotes.

It is not a case for ignoring problems. She writes that her optimism "does not rest on the absence of evil," and she warns against what she calls "dangerous optimism of ignorance and indifference."

The essay later appeared under other titles. The Library of Congress catalogs My Key of Life (London, Isbister, 1904; New York, Crowell, [1926]) and The Practice of Optimism (London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1915) as later issues of it, so a library search may bring up those names. AFB posts the 1903 text on its Optimism page.

The World I Live In (1908)

The World I Live In is about how she knows the world without sight or hearing. The Library of Congress lists it as published in New York by The Century Co. in 1908, and its preface says the essays and the poem first appeared in Century Magazine. NLS says she wrote it in 1908, at 28.

NLS describes three themes: the senses, especially touch; imagination, thinking and language; and dreams. The Gutenberg contents list 15 chapters and a closing poem, "A Chant of Darkness." The first chapter, "The Seeing Hand," begins with her touching her dog. Another, "Before the Soul Dawn," looks back to the years before Anne Sullivan arrived: "Before my teacher came to me, I did not know that I am. I lived in a world that was a no-world."

The Gutenberg text is the London edition, from Hodder and Stoughton, not the American first edition.

The Song of the Stone Wall (1910)

This long poem is on Gutenberg. The text says "Published October, 1910," and the Library of Congress lists 1910. She dedicated it to Edward Everett Hale, in a note dated January 1910 in Wrentham, Massachusetts. The poem begins with an invitation: "Come walk with me, and I will tell" what she has read in a scroll of stone. It reads a New England stone wall as a chronicle of the workmen who built it.

Her later books, 1913 to 1957

• Out of the Dark (1913). The Library of Congress gives the subtitle as essays, letters and addresses on physical and social vision, from Doubleday, Page. AFB describes it as "a collection of socialist writings."
• My Religion (1927). AFB says it covers her Swedenborgian beliefs. NLS lists a revised edition titled Light in My Darkness, revised by Ray Silverman in 1994, and says Keller wrote some of its passages as early as 1903.
• Midstream: My Later Life (1929). NLS says it continues her autobiography from her sophomore year at Radcliffe and covers her writing, lecturing, acting and work on behalf of blind people, with her friendships with Mark Twain, Alexander Graham Bell and the Carnegies.
• Peace at Eventide (1932). The Library of Congress lists a 45-page book from the London publisher Methuen, with the date in brackets. We could not read a description of its contents, so we give none.
• Helen Keller in Scotland (1933). The Library of Congress title calls it "a personal record written by herself," edited, with an introduction, by James Kerr Love and published by Methuen in London.
• Helen Keller's Journal (1938). The Library of Congress says it covers November 4, 1936 to April 14, 1937; AFB places its publication in the spring of 1938.
• Let Us Have Faith (1940). A 78-page book from Doubleday, Doran, catalogued under the subject Faith. We read no description beyond that.
• Teacher: Anne Sullivan Macy (1955). NLS says Keller pays homage to her teacher, companion and friend. AFB dates its publication to December 1955.
• The Open Door (1957). A 140-page book from Doubleday, catalogued under the subject Conduct of life. We read no description beyond that.

NLS also lists two collections put together from her work: Helen Keller: Selected Writings, edited by Kim E. Nielsen (2005), and To Love This Life, a book of quotations (2000). They are not among the 13.

How she wrote them

AFB says she prepared her manuscripts on a braille typewriter and then copied them on a regular typewriter, and that her passport listed her profession as "author." It also says the Helen Keller Archives hold more than 475 of her speeches and essays, so her books are only part of what she wrote. On reading, she wrote in The Story of My Life: "In a word, literature is my Utopia."

Which books are free to read online

Project Gutenberg's author page for Keller lists six items:

• The Story of My Life, as text.
• The Story of My Life, as a 23-chapter audio recording from LibriVox.
• Optimism: An Essay.
• The World I Live In.
• The Song of the Stone Wall.
• A German translation of the autobiography, Die Geschichte meines Lebens (62735).

Gutenberg's record for the English text of The Story of My Life says "Public domain in the USA." Its files include EPUB, Kindle and plain text, and a zipped HTML version. It does not list a PDF. Gutenberg's own notice says that readers outside the United States have to check the laws of their country before using the book. That is a caution, not legal advice.

Modern editions that add an introduction or commentary are separate from the old texts. The later books, from 1913 on, are not on Gutenberg's Keller list, and we did not check their copyright. AFB also has an online selection of her books, essays and speeches, including Optimism.

Which books you can borrow in braille or audio

NLS, part of the Library of Congress, describes itself as "a free braille and talking book library service" for people who are blind or have a visual, physical, perceptual or reading disability that prevents them from reading print. Its FAQ says: "There is no direct cost to eligible readers." Books come as downloads from BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download) or by mail as "Free Matter for the Blind." For the service in general, see talking books for the blind.

NLS requires a qualified person to certify an applicant's eligibility, and in many cases the network librarian can do it by phone. Only U.S. residents or citizens living abroad can qualify. To apply, use NLS's enrollment page or call 888-NLS-READ (888-657-7323). NLS also says deafblind readers can use BARD to download books onto a refreshable braille display; for more, see deafblind communication.

NLS's Helen Keller list includes these books by her. The BR and DB numbers are NLS's item numbers, and the list offers a download for each (braille and audio).

The NLS Keller list does not include Optimism or The Song of the Stone Wall. That is only that list; your network library can tell you what else is in the NLS catalog. For more places to find braille books, see braille books.

If you see a different year for one of these books, check which edition it is: reprints, translations and revised editions carry their own dates. The years in the table are the Library of Congress's first-edition dates.

Where Braillito fits

Braillito, our app, teaches braille. It teaches the braille cells in lessons with exercises you play, with lives, levels and a daily streak: 59 lessons in 8 worlds in English. It also has a translator, a dictionary and a cell builder. The English lessons are uncontracted braille (grade 1); they don't teach contracted braille or transcription, and Braillito isn't a braille transcriber.

Keller read several raised codes in her day, as Helen Keller and braille explains. The translator on braillito.com shows how a word or short phrase looks in UEB, so you can try the title of one of her books. It applies only the rules a program can apply and doesn't replace a transcriber. Without paying, the braille translator works in any browser.

Braillito is a subscription with no free version; depending on the plan, it starts with a free trial or a discounted first period, if it's your first subscription (is Braillito free?). Get Braillito.

Frequently asked questions

How many books did Helen Keller write?

AFB's biography names 13 books, from The Story of My Life (1903) to The Open Door (1957). Another AFB page says she wrote 14 books and more than 475 speeches and essays. We could not find which title is the 14th.

Did Helen Keller write The Story of My Life herself?

The editor's preface says the first two parts, her story and her letters, are hers, and that the editor, John Albert Macy, is responsible for the third. AFB's chronology says she wrote it with Macy's help. For more on the doubts about her, see was Helen Keller real?.

Is The Story of My Life free to read?

Yes, online. Project Gutenberg offers the English text as an EPUB, Kindle file, plain text or HTML, and as a 23-chapter audio recording, and labels it "Public domain in the USA." Readers outside the United States should check their own country's rules.

Can I get Helen Keller's books in braille or audio?

Several, through NLS, if you are eligible. The Story of My Life, The World I Live In, Midstream and Light in My Darkness are listed in braille and audio, and Teacher in audio. Your network library can tell you whether you qualify.

What is Optimism by Helen Keller about?

It is a three-part essay from 1903 on optimism as a working faith. She calls it "the faith that leads to achievement" and says it "does not rest on the absence of evil." It is on Project Gutenberg.

What did she write after The Story of My Life?

Optimism came out the same year, and The World I Live In followed in 1908. Midstream: My Later Life (1929) continues her autobiography.