diff --git a/bindery/static/js/stories.js b/bindery/static/js/stories.js
index 0885565..0a7a02c 100644
--- a/bindery/static/js/stories.js
+++ b/bindery/static/js/stories.js
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import { jobPanel, refreshJobs, watchJobs } from './jobs.js';
 import { api, badge, button, checkbox, fill, fmtDate, h, link, showError, toast } from './lib.js';
 
+const STORY_SORT_KEY = 'bindery.story-sort';
 const STORY_COLUMNS = [
   { label: 'Title', key: 'title', type: 'text' },
   { label: 'Author', key: 'author', type: 'text' },
@@ -219,6 +220,15 @@ export function storiesPage(main, _params, config) {
   let filter = '';
   let sort = 'title';
   let direction = 1;
+  try {
+    const saved = JSON.parse(window.localStorage.getItem(STORY_SORT_KEY));
+    if (saved && STORY_COLUMNS.some(({ key }) => key === saved.column) && [1, -1].includes(saved.direction)) {
+      sort = saved.column;
+      direction = saved.direction;
+    }
+  } catch {
+    // Keep the default if storage is blocked or its value is invalid.
+  }
   const sortButtons = new Map();
   const table = h('div', {}, h('p', { class: 'empty' }, 'Loading…'));
   const jobs = jobPanel({ hours: config.main_jobs_hours, count: config.main_jobs_count });
@@ -260,6 +270,11 @@ export function storiesPage(main, _params, config) {
       const control = button(label, () => {
         sort = key;
         direction = nextDirection;
+        try {
+          window.localStorage.setItem(STORY_SORT_KEY, JSON.stringify({ column: sort, direction }));
+        } catch {
+          // Sorting still works when the browser blocks storage.
+        }
         render();
         sortButtons.get(key).focus();
       }, { title: action, 'aria-label': action });
diff --git a/tests/js/story-list.test.mjs b/tests/js/story-list.test.mjs
index b2e1a10..931138b 100644
--- a/tests/js/story-list.test.mjs
+++ b/tests/js/story-list.test.mjs
@@ -1,8 +1,17 @@
 import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
-import { test } from 'node:test';
+import { beforeEach, test } from 'node:test';
 import { click, field, find, input, install, nodes, server, settle } from './flow-helpers.mjs';
 
-const { app } = install();
+const { app, toasts } = install();
+const SORT_KEY = 'bindery.story-sort';
+beforeEach(() => {
+  const values = new Map();
+  window.localStorage = {
+    getItem: (key) => values.get(key) ?? null,
+    setItem: (key, value) => values.set(key, value),
+  };
+  toasts.replaceChildren();
+});
 const { storiesPage } = await import('../../bindery/static/js/stories.js');
 const { refreshJobs, startPolling, stopPolling } = await import('../../bindery/static/js/jobs.js');
 const { fmtDate } = await import('../../bindery/static/js/lib.js');
@@ -112,6 +121,61 @@ for (const [label, key] of [['Author', 'author'], ['Site', 'site'], ['Status', '
   });
 }
 
+test('sorting saves the column and direction and restores both when the list reopens', async (t) => {
+  const list = [
+    story(1, 'Alpha', { author: 'Zed', site: 'z.test', status: 'ok', chapter_count: 2,
+      last_changed: '2026-01-01T00:00:00Z', last_checked: '2026-01-03T00:00:00Z' }),
+    story(2, 'Beta', { author: 'Anne', site: 'a.test', status: 'error', chapter_count: 10,
+      last_changed: '2026-01-02T00:00:00Z', last_checked: '2026-01-02T00:00:00Z' }),
+  ];
+  await mount(t, list);
+  for (const [label, column, direction, order] of [
+    ['Last change', 'last_changed', -1, ['Beta', 'Alpha']],
+    ['Last change', 'last_changed', 1, ['Alpha', 'Beta']],
+    ['Last check', 'last_checked', -1, ['Alpha', 'Beta']],
+    ['Last check', 'last_checked', 1, ['Beta', 'Alpha']],
+    ['Title', 'title', 1, ['Alpha', 'Beta']],
+    ['Title', 'title', -1, ['Beta', 'Alpha']],
+    ['Author', 'author', 1, ['Beta', 'Alpha']],
+    ['Author', 'author', -1, ['Alpha', 'Beta']],
+    ['Site', 'site', 1, ['Beta', 'Alpha']],
+    ['Site', 'site', -1, ['Alpha', 'Beta']],
+    ['Status', 'status', 1, ['Beta', 'Alpha']],
+    ['Status', 'status', -1, ['Alpha', 'Beta']],
+    ['Chapters', 'chapter_count', -1, ['Beta', 'Alpha']],
+    ['Chapters', 'chapter_count', 1, ['Alpha', 'Beta']],
+  ]) {
+    await click(app, label);
+    assert.deepEqual(JSON.parse(window.localStorage.getItem(SORT_KEY)), { column, direction });
+    await mount(t, list);
+    assert.deepEqual(titles(), order);
+    assert.equal(heading(label).attributes['aria-sort'], direction === 1 ? 'ascending' : 'descending');
+  }
+});
+
+for (const saved of ['not JSON', 'null', '{}', '{"column":"message","direction":-1}',
+  '{"column":"last_changed","direction":0}', '{"column":"last_checked","direction":"-1"}']) {
+  test(`invalid saved sorting falls back to title order: ${saved}`, async (t) => {
+    window.localStorage.setItem(SORT_KEY, saved);
+    await mount(t, [story(2, 'Beta'), story(1, 'Alpha')]);
+    assert.deepEqual(titles(), ['Alpha', 'Beta']);
+    assert.equal(heading('Title').attributes['aria-sort'], 'ascending');
+    await click(app, 'Title');
+    assert.deepEqual(JSON.parse(window.localStorage.getItem(SORT_KEY)), { column: 'title', direction: -1 });
+  });
+}
+
+test('sorting works when local storage cannot be read or written', async (t) => {
+  window.localStorage.getItem = () => { throw new Error('Storage blocked'); };
+  window.localStorage.setItem = () => { throw new Error('Storage full'); };
+  await mount(t, [story(2, 'Beta'), story(1, 'Alpha')]);
+  assert.deepEqual(titles(), ['Alpha', 'Beta']);
+  await click(app, 'Title');
+  assert.deepEqual(titles(), ['Beta', 'Alpha']);
+  assert.equal(heading('Title').attributes['aria-sort'], 'descending');
+  assert.equal(toasts.textContent, '');
+});
+
 test('date sorting compares instants, handles invalid dates and breaks ties by title and id', async (t) => {
   await mount(t, [
     story(7, 'Missing', { last_changed: 'not a date' }),