Author Guide · Fiction
Books Written by
Tom Hanks won the Academy Award for Best Actor two years running, for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump, and has collected manual typewriters since his youth. His first book, Uncommon Type (2017), is a collection of short stories inspired by that collection. Six years later came his first novel, about the making of a film, written from inside the industry he has worked in for four decades. He has credited the writer and director Nora Ephron with encouraging him to write. This guide covers his 2 key books, in order, and where to begin.
By Lisanne Swart · 2 key books · 2017–2023 · Updated October 2026
ClickTap a spine to jump to that book below.
Quick answer
Tom Hanks has written two books: Uncommon Type (2017), short stories inspired by his typewriter collection, and The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece (2023), a novel about making a film. Start with Uncommon Type if you want short fiction; go straight to the novel if you want to see how a film gets made.
Where to Start with Tom Hanks
If you want short stories
→ Uncommon Type (2017) — inspired by his typewriter collection.
If you want a novel about how films get made
→ The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece (2023) — his 2023 novel.
2 Tom Hanks Books, in Order
Uncommon Type
A collection of short stories inspired by his collection of manual typewriters. One of them, “Alan Bean Plus Four”, about four friends who fly to the moon, was first published in The New Yorker in 2014.
The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece
His first novel, published in May 2023, about the making of a film, written from inside the industry he has worked in for decades. The book includes comic-book illustrations by the cartoonist R. Sikoryak.
In What Order to Read Tom Hanks
The two books are independent. Uncommon Type came first and can be read a story at a time; the novel is a single long story.
If you already know you prefer novels, start with The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece; if you are not sure about his writing, a few stories from Uncommon Type will tell you.
A reading path
1. Uncommon Type (2017)
2. The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece (2023)
The years · 1956–2023
Quick facts about Tom Hanks
- Known for
- Hanks is known as one of the most successful film actors of his generation, and as a typewriter collector whose fiction grew out of that collection.
- 1956
- Born in Concord, California
- 1995
- Second Best Actor Oscar in a row, for Forrest Gump
- 2017
- Uncommon Type
- 2023
- First novel
- Born
- 9 July 1956, Concord, California
- Oscars
- Best Actor for Philadelphia (1993) and Forrest Gump (1994)
- Honours
- Presidential Medal of Freedom (2016)
- Married
- Rita Wilson, in 1988
- Collection
- Manual typewriters, which inspired the stories of Uncommon Type
The red mark is 2017: Uncommon Type, his first book.
How Tom Hanks Writes
Uncommon Type grew out of his typewriter collection. Its best-known story, “Alan Bean Plus Four”, about four friends who fly to the moon and named after the Apollo 12 astronaut, first appeared in The New Yorker in 2014.
The novel is built from the inside of film-making, the world he has worked in for four decades, and includes comic-book illustrations by R. Sikoryak.
Hanks has said the novel would not exist without the writer and director Nora Ephron.
Watch
Tom Hanks, typewriter enthusiast
Tom Hanks talks to CBS Sunday Morning in 2017 about his love of typewriters, which run through his story collection Uncommon Type.
Frequently asked questions about Tom Hanks’s books
How many books has Tom Hanks written?
Two: the story collection Uncommon Type (2017) and the novel The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece (2023).
What are Tom Hanks’s books in order?
Uncommon Type: Some Stories (2017) and The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece (2023).
Where should I start with Tom Hanks?
With Uncommon Type (2017) if you like short stories; with the 2023 novel if you want a single story about making a film.
What is Tom Hanks’s most famous book?
Uncommon Type (2017), his first book, a collection of short stories.
Did Tom Hanks write his books himself?
Yes. Both books are credited to him; the comic-book illustrations in the novel are by R. Sikoryak.
Has Tom Hanks written a memoir?
No. Both of his books are fiction, though the novel draws on his decades of working on films.
Why is Uncommon Type about typewriters?
Hanks has collected manual typewriters since his youth, and the stories were inspired by that collection.
What is The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece about?
The making of a film, written from inside the industry, with comic-book illustrations by R. Sikoryak. It was published in May 2023 and is his first novel.
Footnotes
- Tom Hanks — Wikipedia
- Tom Hanks on his new book, avoiding the pitfalls of fame and making movie magic — CBS News, 2023
- Tom Hanks says his debut novel wouldn’t exist without Nora Ephron — CBC
- Tom Hanks flies Alan Bean to the moon in The New Yorker — Space.com, 2014
Bibliography last verified 9 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
If this shelf interested you, the full bookshelf has more: reading lists by theme, author guides, and notes on what is actually worth your time.
Browse the full bookshelf Get book recommendations