9 Of The Longest Books Ever Written

Ever wondered what the longest novels in the world look like —just one book, no series, no splits?

This list rounds up nine of the biggest single-volume books ever published. We’re talking doorstoppers with word counts in the hundreds of thousands (and in one case, millions).

From time-traveling sci-fi to experimental literary beasts and postmodern classics, these books are as intense as they are intriguing:

9. Infinite Jest (David Foster Wallace – English, ~545,000 words)

Synopsis: Infinite Jest (1996) is a complex postmodern novel set in a near-future North American super-state. It juggles multiple narratives – including life inside an elite tennis academy and a halfway house in Boston – to satirically examine addiction, entertainment, and the pursuit of happiness in American culture. A key plot element is a mysterious film (the eponymous “Infinite Jest”) so endlessly entertaining that anyone who watches it becomes fatally entranced. Wallace’s narrative is nonlinear and encyclopedic, filled with endnotes, dark humor, and incisive social commentary.
Context: With roughly 545,000 words, this 1,079-page novel (including 388 endnotes) is renowned for its length and complexity. Despite its challenges, Infinite Jest was a critical triumph and quickly achieved cult status. It cemented Wallace’s reputation as a leading voice in contemporary fiction and is frequently cited as one of the great American novels of its era. Its influence is seen in the many discussions and analyses it continues to spark regarding entertainment addiction and the ironies of modern life.

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8. A Suitable Boy (Vikram Seth – English, ~591,000 words)

Synopsis: Seth’s A Suitable Boy (1993) is a sweeping family saga set in post-partition India around 1951. The plot centers on Lata Mehra, a young university student, and her mother’s quest to arrange a marriage with “a suitable boy.” Across 18 months, the novel follows four interwoven families, delving into their personal dramas and romantic entanglements as India’s newly independent society grapples with religious tensions, social change, and political upheaval.
Context: At ~591,000 words and 1,349 pages, this novel was one of the longest single-volume books ever published in English at its release. Notably, it was originally published as a single volume (later editions sometimes split it due to size). A Suitable Boy earned widespread acclaim for its satirical yet earnest treatment of Indian politics and social issues. The novel’s accessibility and vivid characterizations made it a beloved modern classic, and it was later adapted into a BBC television miniseries, further cementing its impact.

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7. Jerusalem (Alan Moore – English, ~600,000 words)

Synopsis: Jerusalem (2016) is a genre-blending novel set in the author’s hometown of Northampton, England. It interweaves historical and supernatural fiction, spanning centuries in the chronicle of a single neighborhood (The Boroughs). The narrative ranges from visions of angels and demons to vignettes of everyday life, employing a wide array of literary styles. Over its course, Moore even traces the evolution of the English language and delves into metaphysical explorations of time and reality.
Context: Weighing in at about 600,000 words across 1,266 pages, Jerusalem was published as one hefty volume (some editions later split it for practicality). Critics marveled at its ambition – and hailed it as “a massive literary achievement for our time.” Moore, better known as a graphic novelist, spent a decade on this work, and its release was met with both awe and debate, solidifying his stature in literature beyond the comic book realm.

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6. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand – English, ~645,000 words)

Synopsis: Atlas Shrugged (1957) is a dystopian philosophical novel set in an alternate United States where the most creative industrialists and thinkers mysteriously disappear. The story follows Dagny Taggart, a railroad executive, as society spirals into collapse due to collectivist government policies and the strike of the “men of the mind” led by the enigmatic John Galt. Through its plot, Rand explores themes of individualism, productivity, and free-market capitalism.
Context: At roughly 645,000 words, this door-stopper blends mystery, science fiction, and political theory. It is one of the most influential novels of the 20th century, serving as the seminal fictional showcase of Rand’s Objectivist philosophy. The book was initially met with mixed critical reception, but it gained a huge readership and had significant impact on libertarian and conservative thought in America. Its enduring popularity is evidenced by its presence in modern “best novels” lists and its ongoing influence on political discourse.

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5. Varney the Vampire (James Malcolm Rymer/Thomas Peckett Prest – English, ~667,000 words)

Synopsis: Varney the Vampire is a Victorian-era gothic novel following Sir Francis Varney, a vampiric figure who preys upon a family in 19th-century England. Originally serialized in penny dreadfuls from 1845–47, it features lurid adventures, attacks by the vampire, and melodramatic twists. Notably, Varney is portrayed with a degree of sympathy, at times hinting he may be more tragic anti-hero than pure monster.
Context: In 1847 it was compiled and published as an enormous single-volume book (approximately 667,000 words). This made it one of the longest one-volume novels of its time. Despite its sensational prose, Varney the Vampire was highly influential: it introduced many vampire tropes and paved the way for later classics like Bram Stoker’s Dracula, particularly with its concept of a “sympathetic vampire” protagonist.

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4. Miss MacIntosh, My Darling (Marguerite Young – English, ~700,000+ words)

Synopsis: This 1965 American novel is a surreal, philosophical exploration of the line between illusion and reality. Largely set during a hallucination-filled overnight bus ride in the late Depression era, the story follows Vera Cartwheel as she recalls her eccentric upbringing in a New England seaside mansion. Vera’s opium-addicted mother inhabits a dream-world, while Vera’s no-nonsense governess Miss MacIntosh preaches pragmatic “homespun” virtues – until a shocking secret shatters Vera’s perceptions.
Context: With 1,198 pages, it ranks among the longest single-volume English-language novels. Marguerite Young labored 18 years on this epic. Upon release it earned critical acclaim for its poetic prose and ambition (Norman Mailer praised Young’s sheer stamina in writing it), though its complexity and length have made it a “least-remembered” Great American Novel. In recent years, it’s been rediscovered as a cult classic noted for holding a “mirror” to American ambitions and delusions.

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3. Poor Fellow My Country (Xavier Herbert – English, ~850,000 words)

Synopsis: Published in 1975, this Australian epic centers on three outsiders – Prindy, Jeremy, and Rifkah – as they struggle against social oppression in northern Australia during World War II. The novel explores their quest for identity and justice amid the turbulence of war, raising questions about Australia’s national conscience and the treatment of Indigenous peoples.
Context: At ~850,000 words and 1,463 pages, Herbert’s work is the longest single-volume novel in English by an Australian author. It won the 1976 Miles Franklin Literary Award and has been lauded for its ambitious scope. Though challenging in length, it’s regarded as a landmark of Australian literature for its extensive portrayal of the country’s social and political landscape in the mid-20th century.

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2. Zettels Traum (Bottom’s Dream) (Arno Schmidt – German, ~1.1 million words)

Synopsis: Zettels Traum is a 1970 German novel (finally translated into English in 2016) that follows a couple engaged in translating the works of Edgar Allan Poe. The story unfolds over a 25-hour period, presented in a uniquely experimental style influenced by James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake. Schmidt employs columns of text, wordplay, and Freud-inspired streams of consciousness.
Context: With about 1.1 million words in 1,334 pages, this modernist tome is one of the longest single-volume novels ever. Its typographically inventive format and dense allusions made it notorious in Germany; the English edition (Bottom’s Dream) was eagerly awaited by literary enthusiasts decades later for its colossal scope and complexity.

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1. Marienbad My Love (Mark Leach – English, ~17.8 million words)

Synopsis: An experimental avant-garde novel set in the 1960s, Marienbad My Love follows a disillusioned journalist who abandons journalism to become a filmmaker. The sprawling narrative blends Christian apocalyptic themes with secret conspiracies and cinematic allusions.
Context: Self-published in 2008, this book is considered the longest ever published in a single volume – approximately 17.8 million words spanning over 10,000 pages. Its extreme length has made it more famous as a record-breaking curiosity than for its plot or critical reception.

Don’t want to read 17.8 million word books? Check out these free shorter books.