# Single novel authors **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 17, 2001, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-novel-authors/82117 "2001-09-17T07:02:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-novel-authors/82117/1 "2001-09-17T07:02:08Z")
I’m wondering if there are any authors who wrote and got published a single novel and then never wrote another novel. Or maybe never got another one published. OK, there’s lots of unknowns who fall into this category, but what about those who’ve written a well-known book? The one example I know of is Harper Lee. She wrote _To Kill a Mockingbird_ but that’s it. I believe she never wrote another word of fiction. Ralph Waldo Elison, who wrote _The Invisible Man_ comes close. But posthumously, _Juneteenth_ was published (it took him the rest of his life after the first book to write the second). Anyone have any others, preferably from the last couple centuries? ---
**Author:** ![tavalla](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tavalla/32/89_2.png) [@tavalla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tavalla)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-novel-authors/82117/2 "2001-09-17T07:24:42Z")
Check [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=85154) thread in Cafe Society. Bunches of 'em. ---
**Author:** ![xicanorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a88e57/32.png) [@xicanorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xicanorex)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-novel-authors/82117/3 "2001-09-17T19:18:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tavalla \* > \*\*Check [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=85154) thread in Cafe Society. Bunches of 'em. \*\* Very informative thread, but if I interpret the OP s/he wants to know of authors who only published one fiction book and because famous (I am adding the last part about “famous” since there is a good number of writers who published, failed miserably with their book, and gave up on that career). So, that link provides a couple. I was going to state Harriet Beecher Stowe (Uncle Tom’s Cabin), but upon further research I believe she published other fiction books. The search is still on. XicanoreX ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-novel-authors/82117/4 "2001-09-17T19:56:17Z")
Well, if we can count people who died soon after their first novel was published, Emily Bronte. (There’s been speculation that she was working on another one, but if so, the manuscript was destroyed.) ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-novel-authors/82117/5 "2001-09-17T20:20:01Z")
Thanks for the link to that thread. It looks like Margaret Mitchell is another one-novel author. I’ve never heard of H.P. Saint (_Memoirs of an Invisible Man_) nor of Lady Murasaki(_The Tale of Genji_), but apparently they qualify. Or perhaps they would if they were better known, since I did say well-known book. Of course, your definitions of well-known may be different than mine. Among the two-novel authors are John Kennedy Toole and Walter Miller. Anyway, it looks like that thread preempted mine. I guess I should have done a search. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-novel-authors/82117/6 "2001-09-17T20:29:27Z")
Actually, that other thread was for “one hit” authors, which includes authors who wrote one good book, then a bunch of stuff that sucked, as well as authors that actually only wrote one book, which happened to be good. The OP seemed to be asking more about literary value than popularity, leading to a good discussion because of the inherent subjectivity (I’m still astonished that people exist who think “Sometimes a Great Notion” was not a good book). ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-novel-authors/82117/7 "2001-09-17T20:41:05Z")
What about J.D. Salinger for the Catcher in the Rye? ---
**Author:** ![Elvis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@Elvis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elvis)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-novel-authors/82117/8 "2001-09-17T20:41:08Z")
Here’s an almost: John Kennedy Toole, who wrote the funniest book ever, “A Confederacy of Dunces”, had only one other published novel, and it was something he wrote when he when he was quite young and they dredged it up posthumously. Also, I don’t believe Richard Farina had any novels published besides the beat classic “Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me”. ---
**Author:** ![KenP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c0e974/32.png) [@KenP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KenP)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-novel-authors/82117/9 "2001-09-17T22:29:51Z")
It’s already been said, but “A Confederacy of Dunces” really is the funniest book ever written. ---
**Author:** ![DPWhite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d26b3c/32.png) [@DPWhite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPWhite)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-novel-authors/82117/10 "2001-09-17T22:44:22Z")
Walter Miller wrote the brilliant Canticle for Leibowitz and spent the rest of his life writing the sequel, which was published after his death, but I haven’t read it. ---
**Author:** ![Firx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Firx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Firx)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-novel-authors/82117/11 "2001-09-17T22:48:14Z")
How about Thomas Heggen? I believe he killed himself after “Mister Roberts”. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-novel-authors/82117/12 "2001-09-17T22:53:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shagnasty \* > \*\*What about J.D. Salinger for the Catcher in the Rye? \*\* Didn’t he also write **Franny and Zooey**? Pretty good book if pale in comparison to **Catcher**. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-novel-authors/82117/13 "2001-09-17T23:09:02Z")
I don’t think Murasaki Shikibu really is what the OP was going after. _The Tale of Genji_ was a life’s work, not just a single novel published with no further writing (though ‘publishing’ isn’t quite the write word, as it was 800-odd years ago). In fact, it’s debatable whether she ever intended to continue the story – as it is, it may or may not be unfinished. I see it more along the lines of someone who only wanted to write a single book or who somehow couldn’t come up with another one. It looks this might be IMHO or Cafe Society if it’s only a poll, unless the question is why this happens with some authors. _Wonder Boys_ deals with the topic somewhat (the main character is a writer unable to write a second novel), but it’s not really a full study or anything. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-novel-authors/82117/14 "2001-09-18T00:07:18Z")
Oops, looks like I wasn’t paying attention there. My comments about Murasaki should be applied in the other thread; instead I appear to be telling the thread starter **dtilque** what his OP was about. My apologies. At any rate, she certainly doesn’t qualify (as per the Cafe Society thread) as someone who wrote one thing, then nothing but garbage, since her major work is taken in its entirety. She might barely qualify as a one-book author, but I think it might be stretching it. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-novel-authors/82117/15 "2001-09-18T00:38:30Z")
After investigating Lady Murasaki, I realized that I had heard of her before, but she’s not the kind of one-novel author I am looking for. They didn’t really have publishing as we know it today in her time and country. I understand she wrote her stuff just for her own enjoyment and that of her friends and never thought anyone else would see it. There have been some good additions made in this thread. I suppose I should add a subcategory for those authors who died young shortly after publishing their single book (Heggen and Bronte and any others). I thought of Salinger, but investigation showed he’d published some other fiction, although most seems to be short stories. As for whether this goes in IMHO, I wasn’t quite sure when I started the thread. But I figured that I’m not asking anyone’s opinion on the books, just that the books be well-known. I didn’t even think about Cafe Society when starting the thread. But if a moderator thinks it should be moved, I’m not going to argue. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-novel-authors/82117/16 "2001-09-18T00:50:29Z")
Although not strictly a novel,_A River Runs through It_ by Norman Maclean, from his book of short stories was his only fiction work. His only other book_Young Men and Fire_ was an account of an actual event. Maclean did not write anything until he was in his 70’s. By the way they are excellent stuff. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-novel-authors/82117/17 "2001-09-18T03:51:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TV time \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Shagnasty \* > > \*\*What about J.D. Salinger for the Catcher in the Rye? \*\* > > Didn’t he also write **Franny and Zooey**? Pretty good book if pale in comparison to **Catcher**. \*\* These two, though published in one volume, originally appeared seperately as short stories in _The New Yorker._ (Well, short for that magazine. Call them both novellas.) Per the publishing history in my paperback 31st edition (October, 1977): “Franny” appeared in the _The New Yorker_ January 1955. “Zooey” appeared in the _The New Yorker_ May 1957. And doesn’t this belong in **Cafe Society**? ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-novel-authors/82117/18 "2001-09-18T05:10:12Z")
Franny & Zooey was indeed published as two seperate stories. Many of Dickens novels were published one chapter at a time as they were written. When published as such, they were properly regarded as serials. When the chapters were gathered together into a single volume, they became a novel. The Lord of the Rings was a single story broken up into three volumes for ease of publication. Each of the three volumes is considered a novel unto itself. Franny and Zooey, though published as seperate novellas, when combined into a single volume, can fairly be regarded as a novel. My contribution: Carl Sagan wrote a great many books, but only one novel: _Contact_. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-novel-authors/82117/19 "2001-09-18T05:20:28Z")
You could probably include a number of celebrity authors who were able to sell one novel of the strength of their fame and novelty value. I believe Naomi Campbell, Tony Curtis, Marlene Dietrich, Richard Dreyfuss, Newt Gingrich, Gary Hart, Gypsy Rose Lee, Jim Lehrer, and Harry Reasoner are all examples of this. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2001, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-novel-authors/82117/20 "2001-09-19T06:00:55Z")
Here’s a summary of this thread: **Single Novel Authors** Richard Farina _Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me_ Harper Lee _To Kill a Mockingbird_ Margaret Mitchell _Gone With the Wind_ Carl Sagen _Contact_ H.P. Saint _Memoirs of an Invisible Man_ **Posthumous Second Novel** Ralph Waldo Elison _The Invisible Man_ Walter Miller _A Canticle for Leibowitz_ John Kennedy Toole _A Confederacy of Dunces_ **Died Young** Emily Bronte _Wuthering Heights_ Thomas Heggen _Mister Roberts_ Tom Reamy _Blind Voices_ I didn’t include **Little Nemo** ’s suggestions since I am more interested in well-known novels than well-known authors. Well, a couple books on my list are not generally well-known, but seem to be to a subgroup (not so sure about Reamy, though). I could almost add Anne Bronte to the Died Young list, as she managed only two books before dying. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-novel-authors/82117.md?page=2)