William Gaddis books in order
American novelist
- Lived
- 1922–1998
- Country
- United States
- Books
- 6
William Gaddis published 5 novels and 1 novella, beginning with J R (1975). The best-known is The Recognitions (1993).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with William Gaddis
Start here
The Recognitions
William Gaddis's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
J R (1975)
Carpenter's Gothic (1985)
The Recognitions (1993)
A Frolic of His Own (1994)
The Rush for Second Place (2002)
Novellas in order
Agapē Agape (2002)
About William Gaddis
William Thomas Gaddis Jr. was an American novelist.
The first and longest of his five novels, The Recognitions, was named one of TIME magazine's 100 best novels from 1923 to 2005
and two others, J R and A Frolic of His Own, won the annual U.S. National Book Award for Fiction.
A collection of his essays was published posthumously as The Rush for Second Place (2002). The Letters of William Gaddis was published by Dalkey Archive Press in February 2013.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
William Gaddis FAQ
- How many books has William Gaddis written?
- William Gaddis published 5 novels and 1 novella that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read William Gaddis's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with The Recognitions.
- What is William Gaddis's last book?
- A Frolic of His Own (1994).
- What is William Gaddis's most famous book?
- The Recognitions (1993) is William Gaddis's most widely read book.
Authors like William Gaddis
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.