Order of Book Series
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Gore Vidal Books in Order

Gore Vidal has written 67 books, published between 1946 and 2012. The first book is Williwaw (1946) and the newest is I Told You So (2012). Publication order is the reading order below.

Gore Vidal also publishes as Edgar Box.

Books
67
Published
1946–2012
Confirmed
1 of 67 titles
Pages on record
18,158 in 57 of 67 books
Reading time
303–454 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 18,158 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 57 of 67 titles with a page count on record.

See all 67 books in order Printable Gore Vidal checklist
Photo of Gore Vidal, author

Gore Vidal, born Eugene Louis Vidal on October 3, 1925, was an American writer and public intellectual noted for a cynical, epigrammatic wit, and died on July 31, 2012. Vidal's novels and essays attacked the social and sexual norms Vidal saw shaping American life. Born into an upper-class political family as grandson of U.S. Senator Thomas Gore, Vidal ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat for the House of Representatives in New York in 1960 and for the Senate in California in 1982. The catalogue lists 67 books from Williwaw (1946) to I Told You So (2012), including In a Yellow Wood (1947), The City and the Pillar (1948) and Death Before Bedtime (1953). Narratives of Empire and Myra and Myron are among the series.

How many Gore Vidal books are there?

Gore Vidal has 67 books, released between 1946 and 2012. They include 3 series and 50 titles listed outside any series.

Gore Vidal Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 67 Gore Vidal 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.

  1. Cover of In a Yellow Wood by Gore Vidal (1947)
  2. Cover of The City and the Pillar by Gore Vidal (1948)
  3. Cover of The Season of Comfort by Gore Vidal (1949)
  4. Cover of A Search for the King by Gore Vidal (1950)
  5. Cover of Dark Green, Bright Red by Gore Vidal (1950)
  6. Cover of Death in the Fifth Position by Gore Vidal, book 1 of the Peter Cutler Sargent II series (1952)
  7. Cover of Thieves Fall Out (As: Cameron Kay) by Gore Vidal (1953)
  8. Cover of Death Likes It Hot by Gore Vidal, book 3 of the Peter Cutler Sargent II series (1954)
  9. Cover of A Thirsty Evil by Gore Vidal (1956)
  10. Cover of The Best Man by Gore Vidal (1960)
  11. Cover of Washington, D.C. by Gore Vidal, book 1 of the Narratives of Empire series (1967)
  12. Cover of Myra Breckinridge by Gore Vidal, book 1 of the Myra and Myron series (1968)
  13. Cover of Reflections Upon a Sinking Ship by Gore Vidal (1969)
  14. Cover of An Evening with Richard Nixon by Gore Vidal (1972)
  15. Cover of Collected Essays by Gore Vidal (1972)
  16. Cover of Burr by Gore Vidal, book 2 of the Narratives of Empire series (1973)
  17. Cover of Myron by Gore Vidal, book 2 of the Myra and Myron series (1974)
  18. Cover of 1876 by Gore Vidal, book 3 of the Narratives of Empire series (1976)
  19. Cover of Kalki by Gore Vidal (1976)
  20. Cover of Matters of Fact and of Fiction by Gore Vidal (1977)
  21. Cover of Views from a Window by Gore Vidal (1980)
  22. Cover of The Decline and Fall of the American Empire by Gore Vidal (1981)
  23. Cover of Creation by Gore Vidal (1981)
  24. Cover of Duluth by Gore Vidal (1983)
  1. 1
    Williwaw1946 · 136 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1946136
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    In a Yellow Wood1947 · 170 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1947170
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    The City and the Pillar1948 · 310 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1948310
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The Season of Comfort1949 · 253 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1949253
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    A Search for the King1950 · 224 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1950224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Cry Shame!1950 · confirmed 1/4
    1950–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Dark Green, Bright Red1950 · 296 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1950296
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Death in the Fifth PositionPeter Cutler Sargent II #11952 · 221 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1952221
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Death Before BedtimePeter Cutler Sargent II #21953 · 223 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1953223
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Thieves Fall Out (As: Cameron Kay)1953 · 237 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1953237
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    The Judgment Of Paris1953 · confirmed 1/4
    1953–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Death Likes It HotPeter Cutler Sargent II #31954 · 187 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1954187
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Messiah1954 · 250 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1954250
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    A Thirsty Evil1956 · 128 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1956128
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Visit to a Small Planet and Other Television Plays1957 · confirmed 1/4
    1957–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    The Best Man1960 · 81 pages · confirmed 1/4
    196081
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Rocking the Boat1962 · confirmed 1/4
    1962–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    Julian1964 · 466 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1964466
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    Washington, D.C.Narratives of Empire #11967 · 422 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1967422
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Myra BreckinridgeMyra and Myron #11968 · 240 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1968240
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Sex, Death, and Money1968 · confirmed 1/4
    1968–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    Reflections Upon a Sinking Ship1969 · 255 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1969255
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    Two Sisters1970 · 173 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1970173
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    An Evening with Richard Nixon1972 · 157 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1972157
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    Collected Essays1972 · 449 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1972449
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    BurrNarratives of Empire #21973 · 448 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1973448
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    Homage to Daniel Shays1973 · 449 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1973449
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    MyronMyra and Myron #21974 · 244 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1974244
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    1876Narratives of Empire #31976 · 384 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1976384
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    Kalki1976 · 254 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1976254
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Gore Vidal 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.

Narratives of Empire in order

7 books
  1. 1. Washington, D.C.
  2. 2. Burr
  3. 3. 1876
  4. 4. Lincoln
  5. 5. Empire
  6. 6. Hollywood
  7. 7. The Golden Age

Peter Cutler Sargent II in order

3 books
  1. 1. Death in the Fifth Position
  2. 2. Death Before Bedtime
  3. 3. Death Likes It Hot

Myra and Myron in order

2 books
  1. 1. Myra Breckinridge
  2. 2. Myron

Icons of America in order

2 books
  1. 1. Inventing a Nation
  2. 12. The Liberty Bell

Nation in order

2 books
  1. 4. Dreaming War
  2. 16. Imperial America

Literary Conversations in order

1 book
  1. 87. Conversations with Gore Vidal

Standalone books

50 books

50 Gore Vidal titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Gore Vidal books in order?

You only need to read Gore Vidal books in order within each series: the books listed here span 3 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Gore Vidal

Start with Williwaw (1946), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Gore Vidal book?

I Told You So (2012) is the newest Gore Vidal book released so far.

Is there a new Gore Vidal book coming?

No next Gore Vidal 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 Gore Vidal has won

Wikidata records 5 awards and 2 nominations for Gore Vidal. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • National Book Award2009Won
  • National Book Award1993Won
  • Lucien Barrière Literary Award1983Won
  • National Book Critics Circle Award in Criticism1982Won
  • Edgar Awards1955Won
  • Locus Award for Best Novel1979Shortlistedfor Kalki
  • Nebula Award for Best Novel1979Shortlistedfor Kalki

Gore Vidal at a glance

Died
Gore Vidal died in 2012, according to Wikidata.
Last book
The newest book credited to Gore Vidal on record dates from 2012.
Release pace
Gore Vidal books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
18,158 pages across the 57 of 67 books with a recorded length, a median of 255 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Gore Vidal books, 12 of 67, were published in the 2000s.

What the Gore Vidal books are about

57 of the 67 Gore Vidal books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: politics and government is tagged on 10 of 57. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

  • Politics and government 10 of 57 books
  • Authors 9 of 57 books
  • Essays 9 of 57 books
  • History and criticism 8 of 57 books
  • American literature 7 of 57 books
  • Fiction in English 7 of 57 books
  • Vidal, gore, 1925-2012 6 of 57 books
  • Biography 5 of 57 books
  • Gay authors 5 of 57 books
  • Historical fiction 5 of 57 books
  • Literatur 5 of 57 books