The Vonnegut Encyclopedia: Revised and updated edition

by Marc Leeds, Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (Foreword), Mark Vonnegut (Foreword)

Now expanded and updated, this authorized compendium to Kurt Vonnegut’s novels, stories, essays, and plays is the most comprehensive and definitive edition to date.

Over the course of five decades, Kurt Vonnegut created a complex and interconnected web of characters, settings, and concepts. The Vonnegut Encyclopedia is an exhaustive guide to this beloved author’s world, organized in a handy A-to-Z format.

The first edition of this book covered Vonnegut’s work through 1991. This new and updated edition encompasses his writing through his death in 2007. Marc Leeds, co-founder and founding president of the Kurt Vonnegut Society and a longtime personal friend of the author’s, has devoted more than twenty-five years of his life to cataloging the Vonnegut cosmos—from the birthplace of Kilgore Trout (Vonnegut’s sci-fi writing alter ego) to the municipal landmarks of Midland City (the midwestern metropolis that is the setting for Vonnegut’s 1973 masterpiece Breakfast of Champions).

The Vonnegut Encyclopedia identifies every major and minor Vonnegut character from Celia Aamons to Zog, as well as recurring images and relevant themes from all of Vonnegut’s works, including lesser-known gems like his revisionist libretto for Stravinsky’s opera L’Histoire du soldat and his 1980 children’s book Sun Moon Star. Leeds provides expert notes explaining the significance of many items, but relies primarily on extended quotations from Vonnegut himself.

A work of impressive scholarship in an eminently browsable package, this encyclopedia reveals countless connections readers may never have thought of on their own. A rarity among authors of serious fiction, Kurt Vonnegut has always inspired something like obsession in his most dedicated fans. The Vonnegut Encyclopedia is an invaluable resource for readers wishing to revisit his fictional universe—and those about to explore it for the first time.

Praise for The Vonnegut Encyclopedia

“An essential collection for fans of the singular satirist.”—San Francisco Chronicle
 
“Indispensable.”—Publishers Weekly

“If you’re somebody who has read one Kurt Vonnegut book then there’s a chance you’ve read them all. For the devout reader of Vonnegut there’s a voracious sense of completism. And, Marc Leeds and his new [The Vonnegut] Encyclopedia are here to guide you through it all. Just don’t blame him if you become unstuck in time while you’re reading.”—Inverse

“Vonnegut enthusiasts will be delighted with Leeds’s exhaustive, almost obsessive, treatment of the characters, places, events, and tantalizingly mysterious references for which Vonnegut’s five-decade writing career is celebrated. . . . A wonderful and beautifully designed reference source.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Leeds’s scholarship and genuine love for his subject matter render this encyclopedia a treasure trove for Vonnegut readers.”—The Nameless Zine

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction, Books About Books

738 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 30, 1994

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will start by saying that I am pretty sure I will need to return to this book many more times to come although this time around it was more for browsing than serious study.

You see this books is pretty much exactly what it's title says a complete encyclopaedia of all the works of fiction (with a couple of noted exceptions) by Kurt Vonnegut. This is the second edition which was updated after the authors death in 2007 and so apart from any lost works or reprintings of partial works this is the definitive guide.

And this is where I say I will need to return to this book again in the future as I have not read all the books (or short stories) published so I am sure I will find additional items I want to look up. But I will say for those stories I am familiar with this book is a great treasure trove of details especially when you try and see the bigger picture and see how characters, places and names link across them all. Its an fascinating read and I just wish other authors has such treatment.

[Randy M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Vonnegut Encyclopedia is a wonderful resource for devout fans, and first-time readers, of this important author. Because this is a reference book, I have not read it cover to cover, as that is not its intended purpose. After perusing it for quite some time, it became quite clear that an air of completism permeates these pages. The author does, however, acknowledge this is a reference for the works that Vonnegut had approved for publication and is not truly 100% exhaustive of everything ever written or said by Vonnegut.

This book really shines in exposing the interconnectedness of the “people, places, and things” in the Vonnegut canon; something I was not fully aware of as I am just now beginning my journey into this fictional universe. The author of this book includes his own commentary on Vonnegut’s works, as well as from Vonnegut himself. As the author was a longtime friend of Kurt Vonnegut, and is the founding president of the Kurt Vonnegut Society, I am interested in his opinions.

The book is laid out in typical A-Z encyclopedic fashion. I initially found that a little frustrating insofar as I could not open it to a certain section and see everything relating to Slaughterhouse-Five, for example. Material related to any particular novel or story is strewn out throughout the book. However, many entries identify related segments so I quickly became comfortable with the layout of the book.

I will be turning to this book repeatedly to enhance my experience as I read the works of Kurt Vonnegut. Indeed, I suspect the Kurt Vonnegut Encyclopedia will lead me into reading more of Vonnegut’s works than I might have anticipated, or was even aware existed. I have heard Kurt Vonnegut inspired an obsession with his fans. I think this book can only help hasten that process with new readers of Kurt Vonnegut.

[tortoise dreams · Rating 5 out of 5]

If anyone deserves this massively thorough annotation to a lifetime of work, it's Vonnegut. And Terry Pratchett. But at least we have the one (I guess there might be some similar Pratchett-worship encyclopedia online somewhere?). This is filled with every fact, detail, and note of Vonnegut's brilliantly interconnected written worlds. Amazing. Of course it's not meant to be read cover to cover, but I'm sure some have done so just for the exhilaration of the ever expanding Vonnegutian universe. I wish I had discovered this tome earlier in my Vonnegut reading journey. The more one enjoys, adores, or relates to Vonnegut, the more one will value it. The only lack, at least from my perspective, is I wish it pushed deeper into the interpretations, themes, meanings, theories, criticisms of his work, which would have given me more of what I was looking for. When reading I've felt that Vonnegut was speaking directly to me, and always wanted to understand him better. But one can't complain when one has gained a whole world of books that speaks to your soul.

[Carol Stephan · Rating 5 out of 5]

At 725 pages, this is geared toward hard-core Vonnegut fans. This is a reference book that includes every Vonnegut character, images, themes, quotes, etc. It states that the author devoted 25 years to this project and that seems plausible judging by the depth of the information provided. This is a revised edition; the previous edition covered Vonnegut's works through 1991 and this updated version encompasses his works through his death in 2007. I gave this high marks for its thoroughness.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[Critterbee❇ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complete, encyclopedia companion to the writings of Kurt Vonnegut. It is what the title says, an immense compendium of everything Vonnegut, updated to include his complete works up until his passing in 2007.

This is a wonderful resource, recommended for all fans of Kurt Vonnegut. Great for academic libraries.

*note - did not read this book page by page, word by word - it is almost 800 pages of encyclopedic entries*

**eARC Netgalley**

[Terry Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a copy of this encyclopedia on Goodreads.

Omg, this book! It is senseless for me to do a review on an "encyclopedia " so let me tell you this: Everything and Anything you want / need to know about Kurt Vonnegut's writings are right here in this massive 755 page book ( including index ). It's like the bible of his work. A solid book.

Five stars

[Adam Floridia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it!

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This A-Z encyclopedia covers Vonnegut characters, fictional universes, and interconnection between themes. Readers can explore over five decades of his literary career through entries supported with notes and extended quotations from Vonnegut himself. The author, a longtime personnel friend of Vonnegut, was founding president of the Kurt Vonnegut Society, an organization dedicated to the academic study of Vonnegut.

[Jerry Bunin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Vonnegut Encyclopedia has been a major resource for me over the last two years as I experienced the most enjoyable reading adventure in a life filled with wonderful books. The encyclopedia added so much as I read all of Kurt Vonnegut's 14 published satirical and darkly humorous novels, three short-story collections, one of his five plays, and five nonfiction works over 50-plus years and works that have been published since his death. The revised, second edition of the encyclopedia at times seemed like a concordance, quoting every appearance of words, characters, concepts, friends, family and publications. While I found much to like, it might have been better if the book had been more like an encyclopedia, relying more on articles about the subject matters before listing the uses. Encyclopedia author and longtime close personal Vonnegut friend Marc Leeds spent 25 years working on this project. He is the co-founder and founding president of the Kurt Vonnegut Society, founded in 2008, the year after Vonnegut’s death, at the American Literature Association Conference in San Francisco. The society describes itself as “a group of scholars, teachers, and readers dedicated to the academic study of Vonnegut, his life, and works.”

[Ms. Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from Goodreads First Reads in exchange for an honest review....

Great for any fans of Vonnegut!