Ernest J. Gaines Books in Order
Ernest J. Gaines has written 13 books, published between 1964 and 2019. The first book is Catherine Carmier (1964) and the newest is Three W's (2019). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 13
- Published
- 1964–2019
- Confirmed
- 1 of 13 titles
- Pages on record
- 2,509 in 11 of 13 books
- Reading time
- 42–63 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 2,509 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 11 of 13 titles with a page count on record.
Ernest J. Gaines (1933-2019) was an American novelist and short story writer. Gaines was born in Louisiana and spent his early years on the Riverlake Plantation before moving to California and serving in the United States Army. Race, family, community and humanity run through the work. The catalogue holds 13 books dated between 1964 and 2019, from Catherine Carmier (1964) to Three W's (2019), taking in Of Love and Dust (1968), The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1971), A Gathering of Old Men (1983) and A Lesson Before Dying (1993), which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. Four of Gaines's works were adapted as television movies. Recorded subjects include African Americans, race relations, Louisiana, plantation life and fathers and sons.
How many Ernest J. Gaines books are there?
Ernest J. Gaines has 13 books, released between 1964 and 2019. 2 of them belong to the Ernest J. Gaines series.
Ernest J. Gaines Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 13 Ernest J. Gaines books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 119642481/4
- 219682491/4
- 319682811/4
- 4The Autobiography of Miss Jane PittmanErnest J. Gaines Standalone Novels #31971 · 246 pages · confirmed 1/419712461/4
- 519711601/4
- 619782141/4
- 719832141/4
- 819932561/4
- 919953353/4
- 1020051921/4
- 112015–1/4
- 1220171141/4
- 132019–1/4
Ernest J. Gaines books grouped by series
Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.
Ernest J. Gaines Standalone Novels
8 books8 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Ernest J. Gaines in order
2 booksErnest J. Gaines Short Stories/Novellas
1 book1 title published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Ernest J. Gaines Non-Fiction
1 book1 title published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Literary Conversations in order
1 bookDo you have to read Ernest J. Gaines books in order?
You only need to read Ernest J. Gaines books in order within the Ernest J. Gaines series, which holds 2 of the 13 Ernest J. Gaines books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.
Where to start with Ernest J. Gaines
Start with Catherine Carmier (1964), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Ernest J. Gaines book?
Three W's (2019) is the newest Ernest J. Gaines book released so far.
Is there a new Ernest J. Gaines book coming?
No next Ernest J. Gaines book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Awards Ernest J. Gaines has won
Wikidata records 4 awards for Ernest J. Gaines. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards2000Won
- Dos Passos Prize1993Won
- National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction1993Wonfor A Lesson Before Dying
- Lillian Smith Book Award1979Won
Ernest J. Gaines at a glance
- Died
- Ernest J. Gaines died in 2019, according to Wikidata.
- Last book
- The newest book credited to Ernest J. Gaines on record dates from 2019.
- Release pace
- Ernest J. Gaines books have appeared about one every 5 years on average.
- Length
- 2,509 pages across the 11 of 13 books with a recorded length, a median of 246 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Ernest J. Gaines books, 3 of 13, were published in the 2010s.
What the Ernest J. Gaines books are about
11 of the 13 Ernest J. Gaines books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: african americans is tagged on 7 of 11. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- African Americans 7 of 11 books
- Louisiana 4 of 11 books
- Race relations 4 of 11 books
- African American men 2 of 11 books
- Plantation life 2 of 11 books
- Social life and customs 2 of 11 books