This list includes 73 Books that start with I, from “I Am David” to “The Island of Dr. Moreau”. Titles range from children’s and literary classics to science fiction and mystery, reflecting wide thematic variety. Use this list for discovery, cataloging, teaching, and SEO-driven content ideas.
Books that start with I are titles whose initial word begins with the letter I. They include enduring works like “I Am David” and island-set classics such as “The Island of Dr. Moreau”.
Below you’ll find the table with Title, Author, Year, and Genre.
Title: The book’s full title, so you can quickly identify the work and match it to other records or reading lists.
Author: The credited author or authors, helping you locate editions, assess authorship, and find related works by the same writer.
Year: The original publication year or first edition year, which gives historical context and helps prioritize older or newer works.
Genre: Primary genre classification so you can filter by interest, plan reading lists, or compare thematic categories quickly.
Books that start with I
| Title | Author | Year | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|
| I, Robot | Isaac Asimov | 1950 | Science fiction short stories |
| I, Claudius | Robert Graves | 1934 | Historical fiction |
| Invisible Man | Ralph Ellison | 1952 | Literary fiction |
| In Cold Blood | Truman Capote | 1966 | True crime / Non-fiction novel |
| I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings | Maya Angelou | 1969 | Memoir / Autobiography |
| If on a winter’s night a traveler | Italo Calvino | 1979 | Postmodern fiction |
| It | Stephen King | 1986 | Horror |
| Infinite Jest | David Foster Wallace | 1996 | Postmodern fiction |
| Interpreter of Maladies | Jhumpa Lahiri | 1999 | Short story collection |
| Into the Wild | Jon Krakauer | 1996 | Non-fiction / Biography |
| Interview with the Vampire | Anne Rice | 1976 | Gothic horror / Fantasy |
| The Idiot | Fyodor Dostoevsky | 1869 | Philosophical fiction |
| Island of the Blue Dolphins | Scott O’Dell | 1960 | Children’s historical fiction |
| The Importance of Being Earnest | Oscar Wilde | 1895 | Satirical play |
| I Am Legend | Richard Matheson | 1954 | Post-apocalyptic horror |
| The Illustrated Man | Ray Bradbury | 1951 | Science fiction short stories |
| If Beale Street Could Talk | James Baldwin | 1974 | Literary fiction |
| Into Thin Air | Jon Krakauer | 1997 | Non-fiction / Memoir |
| The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks | Rebecca Skloot | 2010 | Science non-fiction |
| I Capture the Castle | Dodie Smith | 1948 | Coming-of-age novel |
| The Island of Dr. Moreau | H. G. Wells | 1896 | Science fiction / Horror |
| In the Time of the Butterflies | Julia Alvarez | 1994 | Historical fiction |
| The Invention of Hugo Cabret | Brian Selznick | 2007 | Children’s historical fiction |
| The Inheritance of Loss | Kiran Desai | 2006 | Literary fiction |
| Inkheart | Cornelia Funke | 2003 | Young adult fantasy |
| I‘m Glad My Mom Died | Jennette McCurdy | 2022 | Memoir |
| If You Give a Mouse a Cookie | Laura Numeroff | 1985 | Children’s picture book |
| Ishmael | Daniel Quinn | 1992 | Philosophical fiction |
| The Indian in the Cupboard | Lynne Reid Banks | 1980 | Children’s fantasy |
| If I Stay | Gayle Forman | 2009 | Young adult fiction |
| Inherent Vice | Thomas Pynchon | 2009 | Detective fiction / Postmodern |
| The Interpretation of Dreams | Sigmund Freud | 1899 | Psychology / Psychoanalysis |
| Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion | Robert B. Cialdini | 1984 | Psychology / Business |
| I Am Malala | Malala Yousafzai | 2013 | Memoir / Autobiography |
| I‘ll Be Gone in the Dark | Michelle McNamara | 2018 | True crime |
| In the Garden of Beasts | Erik Larson | 2011 | Narrative non-fiction / History |
| The Interestings | Meg Wolitzer | 2013 | Contemporary fiction |
| I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream | Harlan Ellison | 1967 | Science fiction horror |
| I Am Number Four | Pittacus Lore | 2010 | Young adult science fiction |
| Iliad | Homer | c. 762 BCE | Epic poetry |
| The Iron Man | Ted Hughes | 1968 | Children’s science fiction |
| I Feel Bad About My Neck | Nora Ephron | 2006 | Essays / Humor |
| The Innocent Man | John Grisham | 2006 | True crime |
| In the Lake of the Woods | Tim O’Brien | 1994 | Mystery / War fiction |
| I Am the Messenger | Markus Zusak | 2002 | Young adult fiction |
| I Want My Hat Back | Jon Klassen | 2011 | Children’s picture book |
| Ice | Anna Kavan | 1967 | Experimental / Slipstream fiction |
| Insurgent | Veronica Roth | 2012 | Young adult dystopian |
| Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? | Mindy Kaling | 2011 | Humor / Memoir |
| Islands in the Stream | Ernest Hemingway | 1970 | Literary fiction |
| In a Sunburned Country | Bill Bryson | 2000 | Travel literature / Humor |
| Invitation to a Beheading | Vladimir Nabokov | 1936 | Absurdist fiction |
| It’s Kind of a Funny Story | Ned Vizzini | 2006 | Young adult fiction |
| In the Woods | Tana French | 2007 | Mystery / Crime fiction |
| Inferno | Dante Alighieri | c. 1314 | Epic poetry |
| Inferno | Dan Brown | 2013 | Thriller |
| The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue | V. E. Schwab | 2020 | Fantasy / Historical fiction |
| In the Heart of the Sea | Nathaniel Philbrick | 2000 | Narrative non-fiction / History |
| In Praise of Folly | Desiderius Erasmus | 1511 | Satire / Philosophy |
| I‘ll Give You the Sun | Jandy Nelson | 2014 | Young adult fiction |
| Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah | Richard Bach | 1977 | Philosophical fiction |
| I Am David | Anne Holm | 1963 | Children’s fiction |
| If I Ran the Zoo | Dr. Seuss | 1950 | Children’s picture book |
| I‘m Thinking of Ending Things | Iain Reid | 2016 | Psychological thriller |
| If We Were Villains | M. L. Rio | 2017 | Dark academia / Mystery |
| It Can’t Happen Here | Sinclair Lewis | 1935 | Political satire / Dystopian |
| Ironweed | William Kennedy | 1983 | Literary fiction |
| I Must Betray You | Ruta Sepetys | 2022 | Young adult historical fiction |
| In The Miso Soup | Ryū Murakami | 1997 | Psychological thriller |
| I Am a Cat | Natsume Sōseki | 1905 | Satirical novel |
| The Incredible Journey | Sheila Burnford | 1961 | Children’s adventure |
| In a Dark, Dark Wood | Ruth Ware | 2015 | Psychological thriller |
| I Will Teach You to Be Rich | Ramit Sethi | 2009 | Personal finance |
Descriptions
I, Robot
A classic collection of stories exploring the Three Laws of Robotics and the complex, often paradoxical, relationship between humans and intelligent machines.
I, Claudius
A brilliant novel written as the secret autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius, detailing the intrigue, corruption, and violence of his imperial family.
Invisible Man
A landmark novel about an unnamed African American man whose social identity is rendered invisible by the racial prejudices of mid-20th-century America.
In Cold Blood
A pioneering work of true crime that meticulously details the 1959 murders of a Kansas family and the subsequent investigation, trial, and execution of the killers.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
The powerful first installment of Maya Angelou’s autobiography, recounting her early years and experiences with racism, trauma, and the liberating power of literature.
If on a winter’s night a traveler
An experimental novel about the reader’s attempt to read a book, which constantly changes. A playful and profound exploration of storytelling and the nature of reading.
It
A terrifying epic following a group of childhood friends who reunite as adults to confront a shapeshifting evil that preys on the children of their hometown of Derry, Maine.
Infinite Jest
A massive and complex novel exploring themes of addiction, entertainment, and despair in a near-future America. A defining work of 1990s literature.
Interpreter of Maladies
A Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of stories exploring the lives of Indians and Indian Americans as they navigate cultural gaps, relationships, and personal identity.
Into the Wild
The true story of Christopher McCandless, a young man who gave up his possessions and hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness, with a tragic end.
Interview with the Vampire
The first book in “The Vampire Chronicles,” this novel recounts the life story of the vampire Louis, from his mortal life in 18th-century New Orleans to his undead existence.
The Idiot
A classic of Russian literature centering on Prince Myshkin, whose pure-hearted goodness and innocence clash with the corrupt and passionate society of St. Petersburg.
Island of the Blue Dolphins
A Newbery Medal-winning novel based on the true story of a Native American girl who was stranded alone for 18 years on an island off the California coast.
The Importance of Being Earnest
A witty and farcical play that satirizes the hypocrisies of Victorian high society through clever wordplay, mistaken identities, and social commentary.
I Am Legend
An influential novel about the last man on Earth, who must survive in a world overrun by vampires. It has inspired countless zombie and post-apocalyptic stories.
The Illustrated Man
A collection of 18 sci-fi stories framed by an encounter with a man whose tattoos come alive to tell tales of the future, technology, and the human condition.
If Beale Street Could Talk
A powerful love story set in Harlem, following a young couple whose future is torn apart by a false accusation and the injustices of the American legal system.
Into Thin Air
A gripping, firsthand account of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, where multiple climbers died during a sudden storm. It explores the perils of extreme mountaineering.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
The story of an African American woman whose cancer cells, taken without her knowledge in 1951, became one of the most important tools in modern medicine.
I Capture the Castle
The charming journal of 17-year-old Cassandra Mortmain as she chronicles her eccentric family’s life in a crumbling English castle and her first experiences with love.
The Island of Dr. Moreau
A dark classic about a shipwrecked man who discovers an island inhabited by a mad scientist creating human-like beings from animals through vivisection.
In the Time of the Butterflies
A fictionalized account of the Mirabal sisters, who became symbols of resistance in the Dominican Republic for their opposition to the dictator Rafael Trujillo.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
A Caldecott Medal-winning book that blends prose and cinematic drawings to tell the story of an orphan living in a 1930s Paris train station.
The Inheritance of Loss
Winner of the Booker Prize, this novel weaves together stories of characters in the Himalayas and New York, exploring themes of globalization, identity, and post-colonialism.
Inkheart
The first book in a trilogy about a young girl whose father has the magical ability to bring characters from books to life simply by reading aloud.
I‘m Glad My Mom Died
A brutally honest and darkly humorous memoir from the former child actor, detailing her struggles with eating disorders, addiction, and her abusive mother.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
A classic circular story that begins with a simple request from a mouse, leading to a cascade of further needs. A charming illustration of cause and effect.
Ishmael
A novel of ideas where a man discovers his teacher is a telepathic gorilla who offers a profound and challenging critique of modern human civilization.
The Indian in the Cupboard
A popular children’s book about a boy who discovers that a small plastic Iroquois warrior comes to life when placed inside a magical cupboard.
If I Stay
After a car accident leaves her in a coma, a talented young musician has an out-of-body experience and must decide whether to live a difficult life or let go.
Inherent Vice
A psychedelic, noir-inflected detective story set in 1970s Los Angeles, following a pot-smoking private investigator through a bizarre and complex case.
The Interpretation of Dreams
A foundational text of psychoanalysis in which Freud introduces his theory of the unconscious with respect to dream interpretation, defining concepts like wish fulfillment.
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
A classic book that explains the psychology of why people say “yes” and how to apply these understandings ethically in business and everyday life.
I Am Malala
The inspiring story of a young Pakistani girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban, becoming a global symbol of peaceful protest.
I‘ll Be Gone in the Dark
A masterful investigation into the Golden State Killer. Published posthumously, it renewed interest that helped lead to an arrest years after the crimes.
In the Garden of Beasts
A gripping account of America’s ambassador to Germany and his family during Hitler’s first year in power, witnessing the terrifying rise of the Nazi regime.
The Interestings
A sweeping novel that follows a group of friends who meet at an arts camp as teenagers and charts their lives, relationships, and ambitions over several decades.
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
The title story of a famed collection, this dark tale follows the last five humans as they are endlessly tortured by a sentient supercomputer that has destroyed humanity.
I Am Number Four
Nine teenage aliens are hiding on Earth from a rival species hunting them in numerical order. This is the story of Number Four as he begins to fight back.
Iliad
One of the oldest surviving works of Western literature, this epic poem recounts the final, bloody weeks of the Trojan War, focusing on the wrath of the Greek hero Achilles.
The Iron Man
A modern fairy tale about a giant metal man who arrives in the English countryside and befriends a young boy, later becoming a hero by defending Earth from a space-monster.
I Feel Bad About My Neck
A witty and candid collection of essays where the acclaimed writer reflects on aging, womanhood, and the absurdities of modern life with her signature humor.
The Innocent Man
John Grisham’s first work of non-fiction, this book tells the true story of Ron Williamson, a former baseball player wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to death.
In the Lake of the Woods
A haunting novel about a politician whose wife mysteriously disappears after his dark past as a soldier in the Vietnam War’s My Lai massacre is revealed.
I Am the Messenger
An underage cab driver starts receiving cryptic messages on playing cards that send him on missions to help—or in some cases, harm—strangers around his town.
I Want My Hat Back
A hilariously deadpan picture book about a bear politely searching for his lost hat. The book is celebrated for its minimalist illustrations and subtly dark humor.
Ice
A surreal novel set in a frozen, apocalyptic landscape, following a man’s obsessive pursuit of a fragile, glass-like woman. A cult classic of experimental fiction.
Insurgent
The second book in the “Divergent” trilogy, this installment follows Tris Prior as she navigates war, grief, and betrayal in a society fractured by ideology.
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
A collection of funny and relatable essays from the writer and actress, covering her childhood, career in Hollywood, friendships, and observations on modern life.
Islands in the Stream
Published posthumously, this semi-autobiographical novel follows the life of protagonist Thomas Hudson, an artist and adventurer, through three acts set in the 1930s.
In a Sunburned Country
Bill Bryson’s hilarious and informative account of his travels through Australia, exploring its unique wildlife, vast landscapes, and cheerful, friendly people.
Invitation to a Beheading
A surreal and Kafkaesque novel about a man imprisoned and sentenced to death for the vague crime of “gnostical turpitude” in a bizarre, totalitarian world.
It’s Kind of a Funny Story
Based on the author’s own experiences, this novel follows a clinically depressed teenager who checks himself into a psychiatric hospital and finds unexpected friendships.
In the Woods
The first book in the “Dublin Murder Squad” series, where a detective investigates the murder of a girl in the same woods where his two friends vanished as a child.
Inferno
The first part of the epic “Divine Comedy,” this poem describes Dante’s harrowing journey through the nine circles of Hell, guided by the ancient Roman poet Virgil.
Inferno
In this fourth Robert Langdon novel, the Harvard symbologist awakens in an Italian hospital with amnesia and must solve a riddle tied to Dante’s “Inferno” to stop a global plague.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
A woman in 1714 makes a Faustian bargain to live forever but is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets, until she finds a man who remembers her.
In the Heart of the Sea
The true story of the whaling ship Essex, which was sunk by a sperm whale in 1820. This harrowing event inspired Herman Melville’s “Moby-Dick.”
In Praise of Folly
A classic essay of Western humanism, written as a satirical speech by the goddess Folly, who praises foolishness and criticizes the pious traditions of the time.
I‘ll Give You the Sun
An acclaimed novel about inseparable twins whose relationship fractures. The story is told from both of their perspectives, years apart, revealing a family tragedy.
Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah
From the author of “Jonathan Livingston Seagull,” this book explores themes of reality and perception through the story of a pilot who meets a messiah who has quit his job.
I Am David
The story of a 12-year-old boy who escapes from a concentration camp and embarks on a perilous journey to safety, discovering the world and his own identity.
If I Ran the Zoo
A classic Dr. Seuss book where a young boy, Gerald McGrew, imagines all the fantastical and bizarre creatures he would collect for the zoo if he were in charge.
I‘m Thinking of Ending Things
A suspenseful and unsettling novel about a woman’s trip with her new boyfriend to meet his parents, where a sense of dread and philosophical unease steadily builds.
If We Were Villains
A group of Shakespearean actors at an elite conservatory find life imitating art when one of them dies. Ten years later, the man convicted tells the real story.
It Can’t Happen Here
A cautionary novel that imagines the rise of a charismatic, populist politician who becomes a fascist dictator in the United States after winning the presidency.
Ironweed
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, this novel follows an alcoholic ex-ballplayer haunted by the ghosts of his violent past during the Great Depression in Albany, New York.
I Must Betray You
Set in communist Romania in 1989, this thriller follows a 17-year-old boy who is blackmailed into becoming an informer for the brutal secret police.
In The Miso Soup
A chilling novel about a young Japanese man who guides an unsettling American tourist through Tokyo’s nightlife, gradually suspecting his client may be a serial killer.
I Am a Cat
A classic of Japanese literature, this satirical novel is told from the perspective of a nameless cat who observes and comments on the foolish lives of his human companions.
The Incredible Journey
The heartwarming story of three pets—a Labrador Retriever, a Bull Terrier, and a Siamese cat—who travel 300 miles through the Canadian wilderness to return to their home.
In a Dark, Dark Wood
A reclusive writer attends a bachelorette party in a remote glass house in the woods, but the weekend takes a terrifying turn when a murder occurs.
I Will Teach You to Be Rich
A popular guide to personal finance, focusing on a 6-week program of conscious spending, saving, and automating investments for long-term wealth without micromanaging.