#13 in History
The Crying of Lot 49
- 176
- Pages
- about 3 h
- Reading time
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About the book
The Crying of Lot 49 is a novel by the American author Thomas Pynchon. It was published by J. B. Lippincott & Co. on April 27, 1966. The shortest of Pynchon's novels, the plot follows Oedipa Maas, a young Californian woman who begins to embrace a conspiracy theory as she possibly unearths a centuries-old feud between two mail distribution companies. One of these companies, Thurn and Taxis, actually existed; operating from 1806 to 1867, Thurn and Taxis was the first private firm to distribute postal mail. Like most of Pynchon's writing, The Crying of Lot 49 is often described as postmodernist literature. Time magazine included the book in its list of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.5 across 437 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 70% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the History average of 7.6. That is how 7.6 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 7.0 | 39 | 9% |
| Google Books | 9.0 | 5 | 1% |
| Hardcover | 7.6 | 393 | 90% |
Frequently asked
What is The Crying of Lot 49 rated?
7.6 out of 10, from 437 reader ratings across 3 independent sources.
Is The Crying of Lot 49 worth reading?
Readers give it 7.6/10 from 437 ratings in open sources.
How long does it take to read The Crying of Lot 49?
About 3 hours at an average reading pace — 176 pages.
Where does The Crying of Lot 49 rank?
#13 in History on the current snapshot.
How long is The Crying of Lot 49?
It has 176 pages — shorter than 95% of the ranked books in History.
If you liked this
The same shelf — History — and a score of 7.6, the closest to this book.
