John Kennedy Toole books in order
American novelist
- Lived
- 1937–1969
- Country
- United States
- Books
- 2
John Kennedy Toole published 2 novels. The best-known is A Confederacy of Dunces.
Updated September 2026
Where to start with John Kennedy Toole
Start here
A Confederacy of Dunces
John Kennedy Toole's most-read book, rated by 88 Open Library readers.
Shortest way in
The Neon Bible
One of the most-read, at about 176 pages.
John Kennedy Toole books in order of publication
A Confederacy of Dunces (1980)
The Neon Bible (May 1989)
About John Kennedy Toole
John Kennedy Toole was an American novelist from New Orleans, Louisiana, whose posthumously published novel, A Confederacy of Dunces, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981. At 16 in 1954, he wrote his first novel, The Neon Bible, which he shelved in the same year, not finding a willing publisher; he later dismissed it as "adolescent". Toole was a successful and popular professor, first at University of Southwestern Louisiana, then Hunter College, and finally St. Mary's Dominican College in New Orleans. Having persuaded Simon & Schuster
to accept A Confederacy of Dunces, he was unable to resolve editorial disputes. Due in part to the novel's failure, he suffered from paranoia and depression, dying by suicide at the age of 31.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
John Kennedy Toole FAQ
- How many books has John Kennedy Toole written?
- John Kennedy Toole published 2 novels that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read John Kennedy Toole's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with A Confederacy of Dunces.
- What is John Kennedy Toole's most famous book?
- A Confederacy of Dunces is John Kennedy Toole's most widely read book.
Authors like John Kennedy Toole
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.