Heart of the Home Books in Order
Part ofSusan Branch Books in OrderThis page lists the Heart of the Home cookbooks by Susan Branch in order, with summaries, series background and ideas on which book to open first.
Last updated: January 16, 2026
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Publication Order
5 books
Autumn from the Heart of the Home
by Susan Branch
2004
A handwritten, watercolor cookbook devoted to the pleasures of fall. Recipes for stews, roasted vegetables, pies and Thanksgiving and Halloween menus sit beside essays, quotes and decorating ideas that celebrate sweater weather, walks in the woods and cozy evenings at home.
Days from the Heart of the Home
by Susan Branch
1996
A hard cover daybook that works as calendar, diary and scrapbook. Weekly pages decorated with art and quotes leave room to jot appointments, menus, weather and small memories so the story of each year can unfold one day at a time.
Christmas from the Heart of the Home
by Susan Branch
1990
A full size Christmas cookbook and entertaining guide. Traditional and not so traditional recipes for holiday breakfasts, dinners and parties are woven with ideas for decorating, handmade ornaments and cozy gatherings, all in Susan Branch's handwritten, watercolor style.
Vineyard Seasons
by Susan Branch
1988
A follow up to *Heart of the Home* that cooks its way through the seasons on Martha's Vineyard. From hearty soups and slow cooked suppers to light summer salads and tea time cakes, it combines recipes with glimpses of island life and year round traditions.
Heart of the Home
by Susan Branch
1986
Susan Branch's first cookbook, written and illustrated at her dining room table on Martha's Vineyard. Hand lettered pages share family recipes, dinner party menus, stories and advice on making a warm, welcoming kitchen at the center of home life.
Series background & context
The Heart of the Home books grew out of Susan Branch sitting at her dining room table, brush in hand, trying to capture what it feels like to cook and live in a well loved kitchen. Each volume mixes recipes, stories, quotes and watercolor art into one long letter from her home to yours.
It started with Heart of the Home, written after she moved to Martha's Vineyard from California and began entertaining in her tiny island house. That first cookbook is full of family recipes, simple dinner party menus and little side notes about setting the table, lighting candles and making guests feel welcome.
Vineyard Seasons followed, shaped by the changing weather on the island. It moves from cozy soups and slow braises to picnic food and backyard suppers, always paying attention to the way food marks the turning of the year. Branch tucks in gardening snippets, holiday traditions and bits of island life between the recipes.
Later books such as Christmas from the Heart of the Home, The Summer Book and Autumn from the Heart of the Home lean even more into a seasonal mood. Pages about Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas sit beside instructions for steaming puddings, mixing cranberry desserts or planning a summer tea party on the porch.
Alongside the full size cookbooks there are smaller keepsake titles like Love from the Heart of the Home, Baby Love, Christmas Joy and Sweets to the Sweet. These little books focus on one slice of home life, whether it is romance, new babies or desserts, and they tend to be the ones that end up tucked into gift baskets and stockings.
Whichever cover you open, the look is the same, handwritten pages ringed with tiny hearts, borders of fruit and flowers, and quotations in the margins.
Together the Heart of the Home books form a kind of ongoing diary of cooking, seasons and celebration. Readers who like to cook straight through a cookbook will find plenty to work with, and those who prefer to browse will find ideas for menus, crafts and little rituals to make an evening feel special. If you are choosing a place to begin, starting with Heart of the Home and Vineyard Seasons gives you the core of the series, then you can wander out into whatever holiday or season you love most.
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