Kurt Vonnegut

VONNEGUT, KURT, 1922 to 2007

Kurt Vonnegut books in order

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

Also wrote as Mark Harvey, Philboyd Sludge

Books
27
Editions tracked
57
First editions
17
Nationality
United States
Born
Indianapolis, 1922
Died
New York City, 2007

Official websiteWikidataOpen LibrarySearch within Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut wrote 27 books we track between 1952 and 2013; in publication order they begin with Player Piano (1952).

Life

About Kurt Vonnegut

Writer

Known as
playwright, writer, screenwriter, novelist
Genres
satire, science fiction, surreal humour, absurdist literature, postmodern literature
Citizenship
United States
Also wrote as
Mark Harvey, Philboyd Sludge

Background

Educated at
University of Chicago, Cornell University, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Tennessee
Influenced by
George Orwell, George Bernard Shaw, Mark Twain, Henry David Thoreau, H. L. Mencken, Robert Louis Stevenson

Awards and honours

  • Guggenheim Fellowship (1967)
  • Purple Heart
  • National Book Award (1970)
  • Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (1973)
  • Eugene V. Debs Award (1981)
  • Mondello Prize (1991)
  • Humanist of the Year (1992)
  • Carl Sandburg Literary Award (2001)

Notable works

From Wikidata (CC0); Wikipedia has articles on Kurt Vonnegut in 86 languages.

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-Five4 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. 9Between Time and Timbuktu1972
  10. 10Breakfast of Champions1973
  11. 11Wampeters, Foma & Granfalloons1974
  12. 12Slapstick1976
Show all 27 books in order
  1. 13Jailbird1979
  2. 14Palm Sunday1981
  3. 15Deadeye Dick1982
  4. 16Galápagos1985
  5. 17Bluebeard1987
  6. 18Hocus Pocus1990
  7. 19Fates Worse Than Death1991
  8. 20Timequake1997
  9. 21Bagombo Snuff Box1999
  10. 22God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian1999
  11. 23A Man Without a Country2005
  12. 24Armageddon in Retrospect2008
  13. 25Look at the Birdie2009
  14. 26While Mortals Sleep2011
  15. 27If 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. 1963Cat's CradleHolt, Rinehart and Winston
  4. 1969Slaughterhouse-FiveDelacorte Press
  5. 1971Happy Birthday, Wanda JuneDelacorte Press
  6. 1972Between Time and TimbuktuDelacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence
  7. 1973Breakfast of ChampionsDelacorte Press
  8. 1974Wampeters, Foma & Granfalloons (opinions)Delacorte Press
  9. 1979JailbirdDelacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence
  10. 1982Deadeye DickDelacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence
  11. 1987BluebeardDelacorte Press
  12. 1999God Bless You, Dr. KevorkianSeven Stories Press
  13. 2005A Man Without a CountrySeven Stories Press
  14. 2009Look at the BirdieDelacorte Press
  15. 2011While Mortals SleepDelacorte Press
  16. 2013If This Isn't Nice, What Is?RosettaBooks
Books and editions

Which edition do you have?

Slaughterhouse-Five

Kurt Vonnegut · first published 1969

Spot the first: Copyright page: statement reading First Printing (first printing)

  1. 1st Delacorte Press1969 Hardback Sold £746 · Oct 2026 I own Slaughterhouse-Five, Delacorte Press 1969 Log in to want this
  2. 1st Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence1969 Hardback I own Slaughterhouse-Five, Delacorte Press / Seymour Lawrence 1969 Log in to want this
  3. Dell1969 Paperback I own Slaughterhouse-Five, Dell 1969 Log in to want this
  4. Jonathan Cape1969 Hardback I own Slaughterhouse-Five, Jonathan Cape 1969 Log in to want this
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 27 books by Kurt Vonnegut across 57 editions, 17 of them first editions.

What awards has Kurt Vonnegut won?

Kurt Vonnegut has won Guggenheim Fellowship (1967), Purple Heart, National Book Award (1970), Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (1973), according to Wikidata.

Did Kurt Vonnegut write under another name?

Yes: Kurt Vonnegut also published as Mark Harvey, Philboyd Sludge. Those books are listed here under the one author.

Sources

Where these facts come from

Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 17 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.

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