Kurt Vonnegut

VONNEGUT, KURT, 1922 to 2007

Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) was an American novelist and satirist, author of Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five.

Books
26
Editions tracked
49
First editions
26
Nationality
United States

WikidataOpen LibrarySearch within Kurt Vonnegut

About Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) was an American novelist and satirist, author of Cat's Cradle (1963) and Slaughterhouse-Five (1969), whose darkly comic fiction drew on his experience of the firebombing of Dresden.

He was born on 11 November 1922 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Serving in the US Army in the Second World War, he was captured during the Battle of the Bulge and held as a prisoner in Dresden, where he survived the Allied bombing in a meat locker beneath a slaughterhouse. After the war he worked for General Electric as a technical writer and then a publicist, leaving at the start of 1951 to write full time.

His first novel, Player Piano, a satire on automation, was published by Scribner's in 1952. It was followed by The Sirens of Titan (1959), Mother Night (1961), Cat's Cradle (1963) and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (1964). Slaughterhouse-Five, published on 31 March 1969, made him famous and has often been challenged and banned in American schools. Later novels include Breakfast of Champions (1973), Galápagos (1985) and Timequake (1997), the last of his fourteen novels. He died in New York City on 11 April 2007.

For collectors. Player Piano (Scribner's, 1952) is his first novel. Slaughterhouse-Five was first published in hardback in the United States by Delacorte in 1969; Open Library also lists Delacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence and Cape among the novel's publishers. Open Library records Gollancz as a British publisher of The Sirens of Titan.

For collectors

Collect Kurt Vonnegut

Earliest first editionPlayer PianoGeneric, 1952 Most editions trackedSlaughterhouse-Five3 editions
First published by
Reading guide

Kurt Vonnegut books in order

In publication order

  1. 1Player Piano1952
  2. 2The Sirens of Titan1959
  3. 3Mother Night1961
  4. 4Cat's Cradle1963
  5. 5God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater1965
  6. 6Welcome to the Monkey House1968
  7. 7Slaughterhouse-Five1969
  8. 8Happy Birthday, Wanda June1971
  9. 9Breakfast of Champions1973
  10. 10Wampeters, Foma & Granfalloons1974
  11. 11Slapstick1976
  12. 12Jailbird1979
Show all 26 books in order
  1. 13Palm Sunday1981
  2. 14Deadeye Dick1982
  3. 15Galápagos1985
  4. 16Bluebeard1987
  5. 17Hocus Pocus1990
  6. 18Fates Worse Than Death1991
  7. 19Timequake1997
  8. 20Bagombo Snuff Box1999
  9. 21God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian1999
  10. 22A Man Without a Country2005
  11. 23Armageddon in Retrospect2008
  12. 24Look at the Birdie2009
  13. 25While Mortals Sleep2011
  14. 26If This Isnt Nice What Is Advice To The Young The Graduation Speeches2013
In order

First editions, year by year

  1. 1952Player PianoGeneric
  2. 1959The Sirens of TitanDelacorte Press
  3. 1961Mother NightJonathan Cape
  4. 1963Cat's CradleGollancz
  5. 1965God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater; Or; Pearls Before SwineJonathan Cape
  6. 1968Welcome to the Monkey HouseJonathan Cape
  7. 1969Slaughterhouse-FiveDelacorte Press
  8. 1971Happy Birthday, Wanda JuneDelacorte Press
  9. 1973Breakfast of ChampionsJonathan Cape
  10. 1974Wampeters, Foma & Granfalloons (opinions)Delacorte Press
  11. 1976SlapstickJonathan Cape
  12. 1979JailbirdDelacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence
  13. 1981Palm SundayJonathan Cape
  14. 1982Deadeye DickDelacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence
  15. 1985GalápagosJonathan Cape
  16. 1987BluebeardDelacorte Press
  17. 1990Hocus PocusJonathan Cape
  18. 1991Fates Worse Than DeathJonathan Cape
  19. 1997TimequakeJonathan Cape
  20. 1999Bagombo Snuff BoxJonathan Cape
  21. 1999God Bless You, Dr. KevorkianSeven Stories Press
  22. 2005A Man Without a CountrySeven Stories Press
  23. 2008Armageddon in RetrospectJonathan Cape
  24. 2009Look at the BirdieDelacorte Press
  25. 2011While Mortals SleepDelacorte Press
  26. 2013If This Isn't Nice, What Is?RosettaBooks
Books and editions

Which edition do you have?

Questions collectors ask

Frequently asked questions

What order should I read Kurt Vonnegut's books in?

In publication order they begin with Player Piano (1952), then The Sirens of Titan (1959) and Mother Night (1961). Books in a series are listed in series order on this page.

What was Kurt Vonnegut's first book?

The earliest book we list is Player Piano, first published in 1952.

When was Kurt Vonnegut born?

Kurt Vonnegut was born in 1922 and died in 2007.

How many Kurt Vonnegut books does MyVolumes track?

We track 26 books by Kurt Vonnegut across 49 editions, 26 of them first editions.

How do I know if my Kurt Vonnegut book is a first edition?

Open the book's page here and compare the publisher, place, date and the issue points we list for the first printing with your copy's title page and copyright page.

Sources

Where these facts come from

Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 17 October 2026.