George Saunders Books in Order
George Saunders has written 14 books, published between 1996 and 2026. The first book is CivilWarLand in Bad Decline (1996) and the newest is Vigil (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 14
- Published
- 1996–2026
- Pages on record
- 2,638 in 12 of 14 books
- Reading time
- 44–66 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 2,638 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 12 of 14 titles with a page count on record.
Short fiction is George Saunders's home ground. The American writer and Syracuse University professor has 14 catalogued books running from CivilWarLand in Bad Decline (1996) to Vigil (2026). His novel Lincoln in the Bardo took the Booker Prize in 2017, and Tenth of December (2013) stands among his story collections. Saunders won the National Magazine Award for fiction four times. Satire, fantasy and American social life mix through the work, which spans short stories, novellas, non-fiction and novels.
How many George Saunders books are there?
George Saunders has 14 books, released between 1996 and 2026.
George Saunders Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 14 George Saunders 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.
- 119962242/4
- 2The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip (Short Story)George Saunders Standalone Novels #12000 · 96 pages · confirmed 2/42000962/4
- 320001882/4
- 42003–2/4
- 520052402/4
- 6The Brief and Frightening Reign of PhilGeorge Saunders Standalone Novels #22005 · 130 pages · confirmed 2/420051302/4
- 720072572/4
- 820112722/4
- 92013–2/4
- 102014642/4
- 1120173432/4
- 1220214172/4
- 1320222332/4
- 1420261742/4
George Saunders 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.
George Saunders Standalone Novels
5 books5 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
George Saunders Short Story
4 books4 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
George Saunders Short Stories/Novellas
3 books3 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
George Saunders Non-Fiction
2 books2 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Do you have to read George Saunders books in order?
No. No source lists any of the 14 George Saunders books here as part of a series. The numbered table above gives them by publication date.
Where to start with George Saunders
Start with CivilWarLand in Bad Decline (1996), the earliest published title.
What is the newest George Saunders book?
Vigil (2026) is the newest George Saunders book released so far.
Is there a new George Saunders book coming?
No next George Saunders 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 George Saunders has won
Wikidata records 6 awards and 2 nominations for George Saunders. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction2023Won
- Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize2018Won
- Booker Prize2017Wonfor Lincoln in the Bardo
- PEN/Malamud Award2013Won
- World Fantasy Award for Best Short Fiction2006Wonfor CommComm
- National Magazine Award1994Won
- Locus Award for Best First Novel2018Shortlistedfor Lincoln in the Bardo
- National Book Award for Fiction2013Shortlistedfor Tenth of December: Stories
George Saunders at a glance
- Still publishing
- George Saunders published a book as recently as 2026.
- Release pace
- George Saunders books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 2,638 pages across the 12 of 14 books with a recorded length, a median of 228 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most George Saunders books, 6 of 14, were published in the 2000s.
What the George Saunders books are about
12 of the 14 George Saunders books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: short stories is tagged on 4 of 12. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Short stories 4 of 12 books
- American literature 2 of 12 books
- Fantasy 2 of 12 books
- Social life and customs 2 of 12 books