A Thoughtful Look at Literary Giants (2026 Update)
Readers often marvel at the sheer ambition behind certain books. Some stretch across thousands of pages, weaving intricate worlds or profound reflections that demand time and dedication. The question of the longest book in the world invites us to consider not just size, but the human effort and creativity behind these monumental works.
As of 2026, À la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time) by Marcel Proust holds the Guinness World Record for the longest novel. It contains an estimated 9,609,000 characters (including spaces), equivalent to about 1.2–1.3 million words across seven volumes.
This masterpiece, published between 1913 and 1927, explores memory, society, and time with unparalleled depth. Guinness recognizes it despite its multi-volume format, as it forms a single cohesive narrative.
This guide draws from reliable sources like Guinness World Records, Wikipedia lists of longest novels, and literary analyses (updated through early 2026). We will examine Proust's record, notable contenders, measurement challenges, and why these books endure.
The Record Holder: In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time (originally titled À la recherche du temps perdu) stands as the official longest novel per Guinness World Records.
Character count — 9,609,000 (letters and spaces, the metric Guinness uses for precision).
Word count — Approximately 1,267,069 words (estimates vary slightly by translation and edition).
Page count — Over 3,000–4,200 pages, depending on formatting (e.g., Modern Library edition spans seven volumes).
Publication — 1913–1927, posthumously completed.
Proust's work follows an unnamed narrator's recollections of aristocratic French society, triggered by sensory experiences like the famous madeleine cookie dipped in tea. Its length allows for rich psychological exploration, making it a cornerstone of modernist literature.
Guinness has held this record consistently, noting the novel's unified vision despite volumes.
Notable Contenders: Other Remarkably Long Works
While Proust leads for novels, other books challenge in different categories.
Artamène ou le Grand Cyrus by Madeleine and/or Georges de Scudéry (1649–1653) → Estimated 2.1 million words, over 13,000 pages in original edition. A 17th-century French romance, sometimes cited as longer but not Guinness-recognized due to collaborative authorship and historical estimation challenges.
Poor Fellow My Country by Xavier Herbert (1975) → 852,000 words, about 1,463 pages. The longest single-volume Australian novel published.
Clarissa by Samuel Richardson (1748) → Around 969,000 words. Epistolary format makes it dense and lengthy.
Sironia, Texas by Madison Cooper (1952) → 1.1 million words, once called the longest American novel.
Marienbad My Love by Mark Leach (2008) → Claimed 17.8 million words in multiple volumes, but often dismissed as experimental or not traditionally published.
For single-volume extremes, non-novels like encyclopedias or records (e.g., World-2023 with 100,100 pages per Guinness) exist, but they fall outside literary novels.
Ongoing web serials like The Wandering Inn exceed 12 million words, but remain unpublished in traditional form.
Challenges in Measuring the "Longest" Book
Determining length is not straightforward.
Metrics vary — Words, characters (with/without spaces), or pages (affected by font, edition).
Single vs. multi-volume — Proust's work is one novel in seven parts; some lists exclude multi-volume entries.
Published vs. unpublished — Manuscripts like Henry Darger's 15,000-page work are excluded.
Authorship — Collaborative or ancient epics (e.g., Mahabharata) complicate records.
Guinness focuses on published novels with verifiable character counts, favoring Proust for its singular vision and impact.
Why These Long Books Endure
Length often reflects ambition. Proust captures fleeting memories in exhaustive detail, offering profound insights into human experience. Readers who complete it report life-changing perspectives on time and self.
These works remind us that great literature can be vast yet intimate, challenging yet rewarding.
Approaching These Literary Epics
If Proust intrigues, start with Volume 1: Swann's Way. Annotated editions help with references.
For alternatives, try War and Peace (about 587,000 words) or Clarissa.
The journey through a long book builds patience and deepens appreciation.
If these tomes feel daunting, there is a compassionate path.
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