List of longest novels

Marguerite Young with the manuscript of Miss MacIntosh, My Darling

This is a list of the longest novels over 500,000 words published through a mainstream publisher. The longest novel is Artamène ou le Grand Cyrus, originally published (1649–54) in 10 parts, each part in three volumes. Artamène is generally attributed to Madeleine de Scudéry.^[1]

Composing a list of longest novels yields different results depending on whether pages, words or characters are counted. Length of a book is typically associated with its size—specifically page count—leading many to assume the largest and thickest book equates to its length. Word counts are a direct way to measure the length of a novel by a measure that is unaffected by variations of format and page size.

Comparison of methods

Three possible ways to determine length exist and each has its own method for determining length. Character counts are at best estimations of spaces, written characters and punctuation; Guinness World Records uses this criterion.^[2] Word counts is another method that counts each word and omits punctuation, but still considered an estimation for length. Using computer software to count words is the currently preferred method for academia and publications.^[3] An arbitrary way is to assume that a standard formatted page with 12 pt Courier font and double-spaced lines is 250 words.^[4] Due to formatting, page counts are subject to change from font, style, formatting or paper size of the published work and cannot be considered a measure of length despite it being the easiest physical indicator of length. For the purposes of this list, word counts are ideal. Page counts are a relative indicator of length; for proper comparison the page size will be included.

Definitions

What counts as a novel is another variable. For the purposes of the list, a "novel" is defined as a "single work" in print or electronic form that has been published through a mainstream publisher, one that has acquired publishing rights from authors. A "single work" includes works thought of as one novel by the author, but published in multiple volumes for reasons of convenience.

Excluded are self-published, printed-on-demand, vanity works, unpublished novels like Henry Darger's, series like the Chronicles of Barsetshire, novel cycles such as Harry Potter, and record-grabbing stunts.

List

Book title	Author	Edition/publisher	Page count	Page size	Word count	Language	Notes −
Men of Goodwill	Jules Romains	Paris: Calmann Lévy	27 volumes		2,070,000	French
Artamène ou le Grand Cyrus	ScuderyGeorges and/or[5] Madeleine de Scudéry	Augustin Courbé, 1649–53	13,095 pages, 10 volumes[6]	unknown dimensions	1,954,300[7]	French
Het Bureau	J. J. Voskuil	Van Oorschot, 1996-2000	5,058 pages, 7 volumes	126 x 200mm	1,590,000[8]	Dutch
Gordana	Marija Jurić Zagorka	Školska knjiga, 2007	8,768 pages, 12 volumes[9][10][11]	unknown dimensions	1,400,000 (estimated)	Croatian	Longest Croatian novel
A La RechercheÀ la recherche du temps perdu	ProustMarcel Proust	Gallimard (Collection Folio edition, 1988–1990)	3,031 pages, 7 volumes[12]	7.0 inches (17.8 cm) x 5.0 inches (12.7 cm)[13]	1,267,069[14]	French	Guinness World Record holder for longest novel. Uses estimated character count of 9,609,000 characters.[15]
Zettels Traum	SchmidtArno Schmidt	Suhrkamp Verlag (2010 edition)	1,536 pages	14.1 inches (35.8 cm) x 10.8 inches (27.4 cm)[16]	1,100,000 (estimated)	German	6,800,000 characters;[17] longest novel published in one volume
Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady	RichardsonSamuel Richardson	Penguin Classics (1986)	1,534 pages, paperback	9.2 inches (23.4 cm) x 5.8 inches (14.7 cm)[18]	984,870 (1964 estimate by The New York Times[19])	English
Kelidar	Mahmoud Dowlatabadi	Farhang Moaaser	2,836 pages, 10 volumes [20]	Unknown dimensions	950,000 [21]	Persian	Longest Persian novel
Poor Fellow My Country	HerbertXavier Herbert	HarperCollins Publishers (Australia)	1,466 pages, hardcover	8.1 inches (20.6 cm) x 5.6 inches (14.2 cm)[22]	852,000[23]	English	1975 winner of the Miles Franklin Award[24]
Women and Men	McelroyJoseph McElroy	Knopf (1987)	1,192 pages, hardcover	9 inches (22.9 cm) x 6 inches (15.2 cm)[25]	850,000 (estimated[26]) 700,000 (estimated[27])	English
Sironia, Texas	CooperMadison Cooper	Houghton Mifflin (1952)	1,731 pages, 2 volumes	Unknown dimensions[28]	840,000 (estimated[29][30])	English
Romancxe三國演義 (Romance of the Three Kingdoms)	GuanzhongLuo Guanzhong	Foreign Languages Press (1995)	2,340 pages, 4 volumes	7.2 inches (18.3 cm) x 4.5 inches (11.4 cm)[31]	800,000 (estimate[32])	Chinese to English translation
Miss MacIntosh, My Darling	YoungMarguerite Young	Scribners (1965)	1,198 pages	Unknown dimensions	750,000 (estimated[33]) 576,000 (estimated[34])	English
Sir Charles Grandison	Samuel Richardson	Oxford World's Classics (1986)	1,647 pages	4.6 x 2.1 x 7.2 inches	750,000 (estimated)	English
Les Misérables	HugoVictor Hugo	Gutenberg ebook edition			655,478[35]	French
Varney the Vampire	RymerJames Malcolm Rymer and Thomas Peckett Prest	Edward Lloyd (1845–47)	866 pages	Unknown dimensions	667,000[36]	English	Originally published anonymously, in serial "penny dreadful" pamphlets. Present-day editions are divided regarding authorship.
Atlas Shrugged	RandAyn Rand	Signet Books (1996 edition)	1,088 pages, paperback	6.9 inches (17.5 cm) x 4.1 inches (10.4 cm)[37]	645,000 (estimate by the publisher and by The New York Times[38] and by the author herself quoting printer's word count[39])	English
Jean-Christophe	RollandRomain Rolland	Henry Holt (1910,1911,1913)	1,666 pages, 3 volumes	Unknown dimensions	610,000 (estimated)	French to English translation	1915 Nobel prize winning author/novel
And ladies"...And Ladies of the Club"	SantmyerHelen Hooven Santmyer	Ohio State University Press (1982)	1,344 pages	Unknown dimensions	600,000 (newspaper estimate)[40]		1984 surprise bestseller
Suitable A Suitable Boy	SethVikram Seth	Penguin Books	1,368 pages, paperback	8 inches (20.3 cm) x 5.5 inches (14 cm)[41]	593,674[41]	English	Word count obtained from Amazon digitization (eBook) word count.
F. L. Věk	JirasekAlois Jirásek	CeskoslovenskyČeskoslovenský spisovatel (last printed edition, 1976–1977)	1,870 pages (1972 ed.)	Unknown dimensions	571,350	Czech	Word count obtained from 2011 eBook.[42]
War And PeaceВойна и мир (War and Peace)	TolstoyLeo Tolstoy	Oxford World's Classics	1,440 pages, paperback	7.6 inches (19.3 cm) x 5.1 inches (13.0 cm)[43]	587,287 New American Library Version[44] and 561,093 Oxford World's Classics[45]	Russian to English translation	Edition and translation largely account for differences in word count.
MulinoIl mulino del Po	BacchelliRiccardo Bacchelli	Arnoldo Mondadori Editore	2,113 pages, paperback	8 inches (20 cm) x 5.4 inches (14 cm)[46]	559,830	Italian
Infinite Jest	WallaceDavid Foster Wallace	Back Bay Books	1,104 pages, paperback	9.2 inches (23.4 cm) x 6 inches (15.2 cm)[47]	543,709	English
Remembrance Rock	SandburgCarl Sandburg	Mariner Books	1,088 pages, paperback	9 inches (22.9 cm) x 6 inches (15.2 cm)[48]	532,030[48] and 673,000[49]	English	Word counts obtained from Amazon digitization (eBook) word count, and author's own count.
To Green Angel Tower	WilliamsTad Williams	DAW Books	1,083 pages, hardcover		520,000[50]	English	Word counts obtained from Amazon digitization (eBook) word count
Horcynus Orca	DarrigoStefano D'Arrigo	Arnoldo Mondadori Editore	1,257 pages, hardcover	8.2 inches (21 cm) x 5.6 inches (14.2 cm)[51]	508,751[52]	Italian
ParallelPárhuzamos történetek (Parallel Stories)	NadasPéter Nádas	Picador	1,133 pages, paperback	8.9 inches (22.6 cm) x 6 inches (15.2 cm)[53]	500,000 (estimated)[54]	Hungarian to English translation	2,842,213 characters (in the original Hungarian)[55]

The Story of the Stone (1973–1980), by Cao Xueqin, translated from Chinese to English by David Hawkes and John Minford, consists of five volumes and 2,480 pages.^[56] A word count is not available.

See also

• Four Great Classical Novels, an overview of four very long Chinese classics.
• Joseph and His Brothers, by Thomas Mann, is nearly 1500 pages long in English translation by John E. Wood. Originally published in four installments, the work does constitute a true, continuous novel rather than a serialization.
• The Neapolitan Novels series, by Elena Ferrante, is more than 1,700 pages long in its English translation. Published in four volumes, it is considered by its author "a single novel, published serially for reasons of length and duration".^[57]
• Mahabharata
• List of manga series by volume count

References

1. The name of her brother Georges appeared on the title page, and he is sometimes credited as a co-author.
2. "Longest novel". Guinnessworldrecords.com. 1912-01-01. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
3. "Find the Agent Who Will Find You a Publisher". AgentQuery. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
4. "Hitting the Target Word Count in Your College Admission Essay – For Dummies". Dummies.com. 2008-11-07. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
5. Scholarly consensus does not exist: Georges' name is on the original editions, it is commonly believed his sister Madeleine was the true author, yet no close textual analysis has been attempted. See the summary at "œuvre". Artamène ou le Grand Cyrus. Retrieved 2013-12-30.
6. "accueil". Artamène ou le Grand Cyrus. Retrieved 2013-12-30.
7. Word count of the online edition, using curl http://www.artamene.org/documents/cyrus[1-10].txt | wc -w
8. source: Loads o' Lists: 21 Longest Novels (by word count)
9. "Gordana – Kraljica Hrvata". Školska knjiga.
10. "Gordana kraljica Hrvata". Goodreads.
11. "Gordana kraljica Hrvata". Najbolje knjige – Hrvatski portal za knjige.
12. See Éditions d'À la recherche du temps perdu#Tableau de correspondance, French Wikipedia.
13. Bibliothéque Nationale de France catalogue. Retrieved 2013-11-15.
14. Christophe Vignat. "Sur le Vocabulaire dans La Recherche". Université Paris-Est, Laboratoire d'Informatique de l'Institut Gaspard Monge, Equipe Signal et Communications. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
15. "Longest novel". Guinnessworldrecords.com. 1912-01-01. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
16. Arno Schmidt. Zettel's Traum. Amazon.de. ISBN 9783518803103.
17. Günter Jürgensmeier (2013), "Das verfluchte Buch. Über das gefahrvolle Wagnis, Zettel's Traum zu setzen" (in German), Zettelkasten 27. Aufsätze und Arbeiten zum Werk Arno Schmidts (Wiesenbach: Bangert & Metzler): pp. 42, ISBN 978-3-924147-64-8 
18. Samuel Richardson. Clarissa: Or the History of a Young Lady. Penguin Classics. ISBN 9780140432152.
19. Hal Boyle Genius isn't all thumbs, writer Boyle confides Florence, Alabama:Times Daily 23 April 1962 (via Google news archive)
20. http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/books/the-10-longest-novels-ever-written
21. http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/books/the-10-longest-novels-ever-written
22. Xavier Herbert. Poor Fellow My Country. Amazon.com. ISBN 9780006160298.
23. Poor fellow my ears The Age 29 December 1987 (via Google news archive)
24. Top award to Xavier Herbert Sydney Morning Herald 28 April 1976 (via Google news archive)
25. Joseph McElroy. Women and Men. Amazon.com. ISBN 9781564780232.
26. Karl, Frederick (Spring 1990). "Women and Men: More than a novel". Review of Contemporary Fiction. p. 181.
27. Garth Risk Hallberg (2009-07-07). "The lost postmodernist: Joseph McElroy". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
28. Nichols, Lewis (1952-11-09). "Talk with Madison Cooper – Review". nytimes.com. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
29. "Author a bachelor; so he has time to write longest novel". Chicago Tribune. 1952-11-16. Retrieved 2012-10-31. (via Pqasb.pqarchiver.com)
30. Author of 1,800 page novel in New York looking after plans for publication of big book The Times-News 27 October 1952 (via Google news archive)
31. Luo Guanzhong. Three Kingdoms. Amazon.com. ISBN 9787119005904.
32. "Movie Review: Red Cliff". Arkansasonline.com. 2009-12-25. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
33. Robert McG. Thomas Jr (1995-11-20). "Marguerite Young, 87, author and icon, dies". nytimes.com. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
34. Walters, Raymond, Jr (12 September 1965). "In and out of books". The New York Times. p. BR8.
35. Victor Hugo. "Les misérables, Tome I". Retrieved 2015-04-23.
36. Calculated from "Varney the Vampire". Internet Archive, Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library. the complete text at the University of Virginia. Note that some on-line editions are incomplete.
37. Ayn Rand. Atlas Shrugged. Amazon.com. ISBN 9780451191144.
38. Nichols, Lewis (1957-10-13). "Talk With Ayn Rand – Author's Query". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
39. Rand, Ayn. The Art of Fiction: A Guide for Writers and Readers. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
40. Schott, Webster (1984-07-01). "An Epic of Hometown, U.S.A.". Washington Post Book World. p. 5.
41. Vikram Seth. A Suitable Boy. Amazon.com. ISBN 9780060925000.
42. Prague Public Library catalogue: F. L. Věk (in five volumes)"Search: Jirásek, Alois F. L. Věk". Retrieved 2014-06-25.
43. Leo Tolstoy. War and Peace. Louise and Aylmer Maude, Amy Mandelker. Oxford World's Classics. ISBN 9780199232765.
44. Tolstoy, Leo; Dunnigan, Ann. "War and Peace". Perma-bound.com. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
45. Leo Tolstoy. War and Peace. Henry Gifford, Louise Maude, Aylmer Maude. Oxford World's Classics. ISBN 9780192833983.
46. OPAC Archive
47. David Foster Wallace. Infinite Jest. Amazon. ISBN 9780316066525.
48. Carl Sandburg. Remembrance Rock. Amazon. ISBN 9780156763905.
49. author, quoted in Corwin, Norman (1961). The World of Carl Sandburg. Harcourt, Brace & World. p. 8.
50. Walsh, Alex (2014-04-04). "Tad Williams to release sequel to Memory, Sorrow & Thorn". Doitanyway.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-04-13.
51. "HORCYNUS Orca di D'Arrigo, Stefano " Rete bibliotecaria della Provincia di Padova". bibliotecaria della Provincia di Padova. 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
52. "TNTforum -> Stefano D'Arrigo – Horcynus Orca". Forum.tntvillage.scambioetico.org. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
53. Péter Nádas. Parallel Stories. ISBN 1250013909.
54. Based on other English-Hungarian pairs of the same piece of literature (such as authoritative translations of The Little Prince), the English version usually has 1/6 to 1/3 more words. Since the Hungarian original has 412,330 words, the English version of this novel may be estimated to have 480,000 to 550,000 words.
55. Hungarian original text in full (copied into Microsoft Word, the left-side notes of the volume and the page (kötet, o[ldal]) as well as the bibliographical data at the top-right corner removed, motto and foreword left)
56. (Penguin Classics and Bloomington: Indiana University Press, five volumes, 1973–1980. ISBN 0-14-044293-6, ISBN 0-14-044326-6, ISBN 0-14-044370-3; ISBN 0-14-044371-1, ISBN 0-14-044372-X).
57. Jenny Turner, "The Secret Sharer. Elena Ferrante's existential fiction", Harper's Magazine, October 2014.

External links

• The 10 Longest Novels Ever Written