What order should I read Jack Kerouac's books in?

Read each series in its own order: start Duluoz Legend with Big Sur. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.

What is Jack Kerouac's most famous book?

On the Road (1957) is Jack Kerouac's most widely read book.

Are Jack Kerouac's books connected?

2 books belong to 1 series (Duluoz Legend); the other 39 books stand alone.

Which Jack Kerouac books have been adapted?

3 books have been adapted for film or TV, including On the Road (film, 2012), The Subterraneans (film, 1960) and Big Sur (film, 2013).

Jack Kerouac books in order

American writer

Lived: 1922–1969
Country: United States
Books: 41
Series: 1

Literary fiction

Jack Kerouac published 18 novels, 6 novellas, 3 short story collections, 5 non-fiction books, 8 poetry collections and 1 play, beginning with On the Road (1957). The series is Duluoz Legend (2 books, starting with Big Sur).

Updated September 2026

Duluoz Legend books in order (2)

Reading order: 1 Big Sur (1962) · 2 Desolation Angels (1965)

1.
Big Sur (1962)
232 pages★ 4.3 (14 ratings)Adapted for film
Buy
2.
Desolation Angels (1965)
366 pages★ 3.7 (7 ratings)
Buy

Where to start with Jack Kerouac

Start here
On the Road
Jack Kerouac's most-read book, rated by 90 Open Library readers.
Shortest way in
Tristessa
One of the most-read, at about 112 pages.

Standalone novels in order

The Town and the City (Feb 1950)
Buy
On the Road (Sep 1957)
310 pages★ 3.5 (90 ratings)Adapted for film
Buy
The Dharma Bums (1958)
204 pages★ 3.8 (5 ratings)
Buy
Doctor Sax (1959)
235 pages
Buy
Maggie Cassidy (1959)
190 pages
Buy
Book of Dreams (1960)
185 pages
Buy
Lonesome Traveler (1960)
183 pages★ 3.8 (5 ratings)
Buy
Visions of Cody (1960)
447 pages
Buy
Visions of Gerard (1963)
151 pages
Buy
Vanity of Duluoz (1968)
280 pages
Buy
The Portable Jack Kerouac (1995)
625 pages
Buy
Orpheus Emerged (2002)
176 pages
Buy
Book of Sketches, 1952-53 (2006)
413 pages
Buy
And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks (Nov 2008), with William S. Burroughs
214 pages
Buy
Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg (2010)
500 pages
Buy
The Sea Is My Brother (Nov 2011)
406 pages
Buy

Novellas in order

The Subterraneans (1958)
144 pagesAdapted for film
Buy
Tristessa (1960)
112 pages★ 4.0 (6 ratings)
Buy
Satori in Paris (1966)
117 pages
Buy
Pic (1971)
120 pages
Buy
San Francisco Blues (1983)
89 pages
Buy
You're a Genius All the Time (2009)
96 pages
Buy

Short story collections in order

Atop an Underwood: Early Stories and Other Writings (1991)
Buy
Good Blonde & Others (1993)
208 pages
Buy
The Haunted Life (2014)
195 pages
Buy

Non-fiction in order

Selected Letters, 1940-1956 (1995)
603 pages
Buy
Door Wide Open (2000)
195 pages
Buy
Windblown World (2004)
420 pages
Buy
Empty Phantoms (2005)
505 pages
Buy
Wake Up (2008)
160 pages
Buy

Poetry in order

Mexico City Blues (1959)
244 pages
Buy
Old Angel Midnight (1960)
67 pages
Buy
The Scripture of the Golden Eternity (1960)
45 pages
Buy
Scattered Poems (1971)
76 pages
Buy
Heaven & Other Poems (1977)
65 pages
Buy
Pomes All Sizes (1992)
175 pages
Buy
Atop an Underwood (1999)
249 pages
Buy
Book of Haikus (2003)
220 pages
Buy

Plays in order

Beat Generation (2005)
116 pages
Buy

Film and TV adaptations

On the Road (2012)Film · from On the Road
The Subterraneans (1960)Film · from The Subterraneans
Big Sur (2013)Film · from Big Sur

About Jack Kerouac

Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac, known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation.

Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Jack Kerouac FAQ

How many books has Jack Kerouac written?: Jack Kerouac published 18 novels, 6 novellas, 3 short story collections, 5 non-fiction books, 8 poetry collections and 1 play that we list, as of September 2026.
What order should I read Jack Kerouac's books in?: Read each series in its own order: start Duluoz Legend with Big Sur. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
What is Jack Kerouac's last book?: Pic (1971).
What is Jack Kerouac's most famous book?: On the Road (1957) is Jack Kerouac's most widely read book.
Are Jack Kerouac's books connected?: 2 books belong to 1 series (Duluoz Legend); the other 39 books stand alone.
Which Jack Kerouac books have been adapted?: 3 books have been adapted for film or TV, including On the Road (film, 2012), The Subterraneans (film, 1960) and Big Sur (film, 2013).