Paul Gallico Books in Order

Hiram Holliday looks like a harmless proofreader, but he has secretly trained himself for almost anything. Sent into Europe on the edge of war, he becomes an unlikely one-man thorn in the Nazis' side.

On the Essex marshes, a lonely artist and a local girl are brought together by an injured snow goose. Their fragile bond unfolds against the shadow of Dunkirk, in one of Gallico's most moving short works.

Young American officer Jerry Wright takes a WAAF on leave in Scotland and finds himself pulled into a love he did not plan for. He must choose between old loyalties and the person who truly sees him.

After an accident, lonely Peter wakes to find he has become a cat. Guided by the streetwise Jennie, he learns the dangers of feline life while searching for home, belonging, and a way to understand himself.

An orphaned Italian boy and his beloved little donkey set out on a journey powered by faith and stubborn love. Their hope for help draws them toward Rome and a quietly wondrous ending.

Gallico turns the life of a single snowflake into a gentle allegory about change, loss, and belonging. It is a small, reflective tale about being one tiny part of a much larger pattern.

An American newspaperman investigates the staged confessions and mental coercion used behind the Iron Curtain. What begins as reporting becomes a tense battle with fear, propaganda, and psychological torture.

A cynical young man persuades a wealthy older woman that he can help her find the secret of eternal life. Their journey becomes less about living forever and more about what they are really chasing.

A desperate young woman joins a travelling puppet show and falls under the spell of its bitter master. The seven dolls on his stage say what he cannot, making their bond both tender and dangerous.

In the mountains of Liechtenstein, a frail little cow seems doomed to fail. Faith, care, and a village miracle turn her story into a brief fable about hope and unexpected blessing.

A proud cat, a grieving girl, and a stern widowed veterinarian are bound together in a Scottish town. Thomasina's fate forces a broken family to face loss, love, and the possibility of healing.

This is the UK title of Ada Harris's Paris adventure. A hardworking London cleaner pursues one impossible Dior dream and finds friendship, heartbreak, and unexpected grace in the city she thought belonged to other people.

London charwoman Ada Harris falls in love with a Dior dress and saves for years to buy one in Paris. Her dream trip turns into a funny, tender chain reaction that changes far more lives than her own.

Gallico tells the story of the Hawker Hurricane and the pilots who flew it in World War II. It is part aircraft history, part tribute to courage under pressure.

Alexander Hero is called to a country house where the hauntings seem to multiply by the hour. The more ghosts appear, the more he suspects human motives hiding behind the supernatural show.

Mrs. Harris heads to New York to keep house for a client, but soon takes on a more urgent mission. A vulnerable boy needs help finding the American father who may not even know he exists.

A working-class family from Sheffield gives up its usual holiday for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Queen Elizabeth II's coronation. Their grand day out is full of hopes, mishaps, and stubborn good humor.

At the start of World War II in Gibraltar, one badly behaved Barbary macaque becomes a serious problem. Scruffy's antics turn a military and political worry into a very lively animal comedy.

A travelling British circus is stranded in Spain after being abandoned by its owner and much of its company. The few people left must keep the animals alive while facing their own hunger for love and dignity.

Little Cecile loves her guinea pig Jean-Pierre and wishes they could talk to each other. One magical hour grants that wish, turning a simple pet story into a gentle tale of affection and wonder.

This collection follows Cecile and her remarkable guinea pig Jean-Pierre through a run of gentle, slightly magical adventures. The stories are playful, affectionate, and full of small childhood wonders.

When Jean-Pierre disappears, Cecile refuses to leave the search to grown-ups and police. Clues, determination, and a touch of magic guide her through a small mystery with very personal stakes.

Alexander Hero travels to New York to examine spiritualist claims around a dead child and her grieving father. A wax hand bearing Mary's fingerprints turns a ghostly case into a gripping puzzle.

Presented as a guide written by a cat, this sly little classic teaches stray kittens exactly how to choose and train a human household. It is affectionate, funny, and full of feline confidence.

When Mrs. Harris's plain talk catches the attention of political operators, she is pushed toward public office. Westminster proves a rougher world than Paris, and her decency is tested at every turn.

Cecile gives her guinea pig Jean-Pierre to an old clown who badly needs help with his act. Her kindness sets off a circus adventure that proves generosity can come back in surprising ways.

Part memoir, part story collection, this book gathers Gallico's fiction alongside his notes on how each piece came to be written. It offers both entertainment and a look at the working life of a storyteller.

In a hidden city of magicians who know every trick, a wandering stranger arrives with something far rarer, real wonder. Adam the Simple reminds a world of illusion what innocence can still do.

Gallico retells the making of the Christmas carol Silent Night and the path it took into the wider world. It is a warm seasonal story about faith, music, and humble beginnings.

Blue, tailless, and unlike any other mouse, Manxmouse sets out to meet the creature he both fears and longs for, the Manx Cat. His journey becomes a bright, strange tale about destiny and self-acceptance.

When a giant wave overturns the luxury liner Poseidon, a small group of passengers must climb through the ship's upside-down innards to survive. It is a tight, high-pressure disaster story with no easy exits.

Gallico's farewell to sportswriting collects his vivid essays on athletes, games, and the strange business around them. It shows the reporter who made a career out of joining the action instead of watching politely.

Gallico turns the boxing world on its head with Matilda, a kangaroo who can really fight. The result is a broad, oddball sports comedy about hype, greed, and one truly impossible contender.

A group of older former resistance fighters reunites on the French Riviera and finds trouble waiting for them. Kidnapping, theft, and old loyalties turn their retirement into a fresh run of adventures.

Part essay collection, part poem book, this is Gallico's affectionate study of cats in all their moods and mysteries. It mixes humor, admiration, and sharp observation for readers who already suspect cats run the world.

A holiday trip sends Mrs. Harris to Moscow, where her curiosity and common sense stir up trouble inside a very rigid system. What begins as travel soon becomes a comic Cold War muddle with real stakes.

On Christmas Eve in colonial America, a frontier family is taken captive in a brutal conflict they can scarcely survive. The story asks whether faith and mercy can still break through the wilderness.

Young Julian West crosses America to patent his invention, a gun that shoots shining soap bubbles instead of bullets. His lonely trip sets innocence against adults who do not know what to make of him.

The wreck of the Poseidon still holds danger, and not just from the sea. When survivors and looters return, the capsized liner becomes the setting for another desperate fight over life and salvage.

Three children living in a modern building discover it is being haunted by the Victorian house that once stood on the same site. Their curiosity draws them into a layered mystery of past and present.

This collection pairs The Snow Goose with other Gallico tales of loneliness, beauty, and sudden emotional change. It is a good entry point for readers who want his shorter, more lyrical storytelling.

A short selection of Gallico stories that mixes romance, irony, performance, and human weakness. These pieces are quick to read but often turn on one sharp emotional twist.

A career-spanning anthology that gathers some of Gallico's best known shorter works. It is an easy way to sample the range of his writing, from tenderness and fable to wit and quiet melancholy.

Gallico traces Lou Gehrig's rise from New York boy to Yankees legend, then follows the illness that ended his career. It is a direct, heartfelt portrait of greatness, discipline, and public courage.

Hiram Holliday returns for another improbable campaign against Nazi power. Using quiet nerve, odd skills, and the gift of being overlooked, he moves through wartime Europe as a comic but determined saboteur.