Nelson Algren Books in Order
17 books are credited to Nelson Algren, published between 1935 and 2017; 9 of them appeared after Nelson Algren's death in 1981. The first book is Somebody in Boots (1935) and the newest is The Last Carousel: Fiction and Reportage (2017). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 17
- Published
- 1935–2017
- Pages on record
- 863 in 4 of 17 books
Nelson Algren, born Nelson Ahlgren Abraham, was an American writer who lived from March 28, 1909 to May 9, 1981. The Man with the Golden Arm (1949) won the National Book Award and became a 1955 film of the same name. Algren wrote about drunks, addicts, prostitutes, prize fighters, corrupt politicians and hoodlums. Somebody in Boots (1935), Never Come Morning (1942), The Neon Wilderness (1947) and A Walk On The Wild Side (1956) are among the 17 catalogued books, which run to posthumous editions dated as late as 2017.
How many Nelson Algren books are there?
Nelson Algren has 17 books, released between 1935 and 2017. 9 of them were published after Nelson Algren's death in 1981.
Nelson Algren Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 17 Nelson Algren 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.
- 1Somebody in Boots1935 · confirmed 1/41935–1/4
- 2Never Come Morning1942 · confirmed 1/41942–1/4
- 3The Neon Wilderness1947 · confirmed 1/41947–1/4
- 4The Man with the Golden Arm1949 · confirmed 1/41949–1/4
- 5A Walk On The Wild Side1956 · confirmed 1/41956–1/4
- 6Who Lost an American?1963 · confirmed 1/41963–1/4
- 7Conversations with Nelson Algren1964 · confirmed 1/41964–1/4
- 8Notes From a Sea Diary: Hemingway All the Way1965 · confirmed 1/41965–1/4
- 9The Devil's Stocking1983 · confirmed 1/41983–1/4
- 10America Eats1992 · 123 pages · confirmed 1/419921231/4
- 11He Swung and He Missed1993 · 30 pages · confirmed 1/41993301/4
- 12The Texas Stories of Nelson Algren1995 · confirmed 1/41995–1/4
- 13Nonconformity: Writing on Writing1995 · confirmed 1/41995–1/4
- 14Beloved Chicago Man: Letters to Nelson Algren1997 · 575 pages · confirmed 1/419975751/4
- 15Entrapment and Other Writings2009 · confirmed 1/42009–1/4
- 16Chicago: City on the Make2011 · 135 pages · confirmed 1/420111351/4
- 17The Last Carousel: Fiction and Reportage2017 · confirmed 1/42017–1/4
Nelson Algren 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.
Standalone books
17 books17 Nelson Algren titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read Nelson Algren books in order?
No. No source lists any of the 17 Nelson Algren books here as part of a series. The numbered table above gives them by publication date.
Where to start with Nelson Algren
Start with Somebody in Boots (1935), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Nelson Algren book?
The Last Carousel: Fiction and Reportage (2017) is the newest Nelson Algren book released so far.
Is there a new Nelson Algren book coming?
No next Nelson Algren 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 Nelson Algren has won
Wikidata records 1 award for Nelson Algren. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- National Book Award1950Wonfor The Man with the Golden Arm
Nelson Algren at a glance
- Died
- Nelson Algren died in 1981, according to Wikidata.
- After death
- Books credited to Nelson Algren are still being published after Nelson Algren's death in 1981; the newest appeared in 2017.
- Release pace
- Nelson Algren books have appeared about one every 5 years on average.
- Length
- 863 pages across the 4 of 17 books with a recorded length, a median of 129 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Nelson Algren books, 5 of 17, were published in the 1990s.
What the Nelson Algren books are about
5 of the 17 Nelson Algren books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. No subject is tagged on more than one of them, so each one below describes a single book. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- American Cookery 1 of 5 books
- American Cooking 1 of 5 books
- Boxing 1 of 5 books
- Chicago (Ill.) 1 of 5 books
- Chicago (ill.), biography 1 of 5 books
- Chicago (ill.), description and travel 1 of 5 books
- Chicago (ill.), history 1 of 5 books
- Children's fiction 1 of 5 books
- City and town life 1 of 5 books
- Cooking 1 of 5 books
- Travel 1 of 5 books