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Non-Fiction Books in Order
Below you'll find the complete list of Non-Fiction books in publication order. This is generally the recommended reading order for the series.
Reading order verified: March 2026
Quick Answer
What order should I read the Non-Fiction series? Start with "Rocking the Boat" (1962) and follow publication order through all 28 books.
The complete Non-Fiction reading order is listed below in publication sequence.
Publication Order
Rocking the Boat
1962
Sex, Death, and Money
1968
Reflections Upon a Sinking Ship
1969
Collected Essays
1972
Homage to Daniel Shays
1973
Matters of Fact and of Fiction
1977
Views from a Window
1980
The Decline and Fall of the American Empire
1981
The Second American Revolution and Other Essays, 1976-1982
1982
Vidal in Venice
1985
Armageddon?
1987
At Home
1987
Paths of Resistance (With: Isabel Allende,Charles McCarry)
1989
A View from the Diners Club
1991
Screening History
1992
United States 1952-1992
1993
Palimpsest
1995
Virgin Islands
1998
Sexually Speaking
1999
The Last Empire
2001
Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace
2002
Point to Point Navigation
2006
Selected Essays
2007
The Selected Essays of Gore Vidal
2007
Snapshots in History's Glare
2009
I Told You So
2012
Vidal vs. Mailer (With: Norman Mailer)
2013
Buckley vs. Vidal (With: William F. Buckley Jr.)
2015
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