Author Guide · Nonfiction & Humour
Books Written by
Ian Frazier drove more than 25,000 miles up and down the Great Plains, from North Dakota to Texas, for a book that became a classic of American travel writing. He spent years on the Pine Ridge Reservation with an Oglala Sioux friend, travelled across Siberia in a van, and walked the Bronx for fifteen years. He is also one of The New Yorker's best-loved humorists. This guide covers all thirteen of his books in order, and where to start.
By Lisanne Swart · 13 books · Nonfiction and humour · 1986–2024 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Ian Frazier has published thirteen books: travel and history (Great Plains, On the Rez, Travels in Siberia, Paradise Bronx), a family history (Family), essays and reporting, humour collections (Dating Your Mom, Coyote v. Acme, Lamentations of the Father) and a novel.
Where to Start with Ian Frazier
If you want the famous one
→ Great Plains (1989).
If you want humour
→ Coyote v. Acme (1996).
If you want the most recent
→ Paradise Bronx (2024).
All 13 Ian Frazier Books, in Order
Dating Your Mom
His first collection of humour pieces, many from The New Yorker.
Nobody Better, Better Than Nobody
A collection of reporting pieces from The New Yorker.
Great Plains
Journeys up and down the Great Plains, from North Dakota to Texas, mixing travel with the region's history, from Crazy Horse to nuclear missile silos.
Family
The history of his own family, traced back through generations of Americans.
Coyote v. Acme
A collection of humour pieces, its title story a legal complaint filed by Wile E. Coyote.
On the Rez
Life on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, home of the Oglala Sioux, through his friendship with Le War Lance.
The Fish's Eye
Essays about fishing and the outdoors.
Gone to New York
Essays about New York City.
Lamentations of the Father
Humour pieces, including the famous title piece, a biblical lament about raising small children.
Travels in Siberia
His journeys across Siberia, including a long road trip by van from St. Petersburg to the Pacific.
The Cursing Mommy's Book of Days
A comic novel based on his New Yorker columns about an exasperated mother.
Hogs Wild
A decade of his reporting and essays.
Paradise Bronx
The history of the Bronx, from its beginnings to the present, the result of fifteen years of walking its streets.
How Many Books Did Ian Frazier Write?
Thirteen books between 1986 and 2024, besides a translation and an anthology.
- Travel and history — Great Plains, Family, On the Rez, Travels in Siberia, Paradise Bronx. Read the entries →
- Humour — Dating Your Mom, Coyote v. Acme, Lamentations of the Father. Read the entries →
- Essays and fiction — the rest. Read the entries →
In What Order to Read Ian Frazier
His books stand alone. Great Plains and On the Rez belong together, both about the American West.
A reading path
1. Great Plains (1989)
2. Travels in Siberia (2010)
3. On the Rez (2000)
4. Paradise Bronx (2024)
Quick facts about Ian Frazier
- Born
- 1951, Cleveland, Ohio
- Education
- Harvard, where he wrote for the Harvard Lampoon
- Works for
- The New Yorker
- Lives
- Montclair, New Jersey
- Prizes
- Thurber Prize for American Humor
- Books
- 13, from 1986 to 2024
How Ian Frazier Writes: Long Looking
Frazier spends years with a place, the Great Plains, Siberia or the Bronx, travelling slowly and reading everything about it.
His humour and his reporting share the same curiosity and an ear for American speech.
Frequently asked questions about Ian Frazier's books
How many books has Ian Frazier written?
Ian Frazier has published thirteen books, from Dating Your Mom (1986) to Paradise Bronx (2024).
What is Great Plains about?
Great Plains (1989) describes Frazier's travels across the Great Plains and the history of the region.
Footnotes
Bibliography last verified 1 October 2026.
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.
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