Lead sulfide (PbS) nanorods with a high aspect ratio were prepared by a novel thioglycolic acid assisted hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the product was rod-like PbS with cubic rock-salt structure. Further characterizations by selected area electron diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy showed that the PbS nanorods were single crystalline in nature. Furthermore, the mechanism and critical factors for the hydrothermal synthesis of the nanorods have been discussed.