Anthony Bourdain Books in Order: From Kitchen Confidential to World Travel
If you are new to Bourdain, start with Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. It offers a candid look at professional kitchens and the experiences that helped make him one of the best-known food writers of his generation.
Anthony Bourdain was a chef, author, and television host whose work combined sharp humor, curiosity, and an unfiltered view of the food industry. His writing moved from restaurant kitchens to international travel, while his fiction explored crime, violence, and the darker side of human behavior.
This guide lists his major books in publication order, including his graphic novels and books published after his death. Because some titles are collections or collaborative works, the guide also explains what each book offers.
Anthony Bourdain Books in Publication Order
The following list follows the original publication order of his major books. Publication years can vary slightly between countries and editions, especially for books released under different titles or in later formats.
1. Bone in the Throat (1995)
Bone in the Throat is Anthony Bourdain’s debut novel, a crime story set in the restaurant world of New York City. Its central character works in a kitchen where the demands of restaurant life become tangled with organized crime and dangerous personal connections.
The novel reflects Bourdain’s firsthand knowledge of professional kitchens, including their pressure, rivalries, and complicated hierarchies. If you know him mainly for food writing, this early book reveals his interest in crime fiction and dark humor.
2. Gone Bamboo (1997)
Gone Bamboo is Bourdain’s second crime novel, following a professional killer living in the Caribbean. The story mixes violence, criminal schemes, and dark comedy as the main character’s personal life becomes increasingly complicated.
Unlike Bourdain’s later memoirs, this book is fictional and deliberately over the top. It is a good choice for readers who enjoy crime stories with an irreverent tone and morally complicated characters.
3. Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (2000)
Kitchen Confidential is Bourdain’s best-known book and the work that brought him widespread recognition as a writer. Drawing on his experiences as a chef, he describes the demanding, chaotic, and often unglamorous reality of working in professional restaurant kitchens.
The book covers kitchen culture, restaurant personalities, culinary training, and the habits that help people survive the industry. Bourdain’s direct language, humor, and willingness to discuss uncomfortable subjects made it a landmark in modern food writing.
For readers interested in his life and career, this is the best starting point. It also provides useful context for his later books about food, travel, fame, and the people he encountered along the way.
4. A Cook’s Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal (2001)
A Cook’s Tour follows Bourdain as he travels around the world in search of memorable food and authentic culinary experiences. His journeys take him beyond restaurant kitchens and into unfamiliar cultures, local food traditions, and meals that challenge his expectations.
The book is about more than finding the perfect dish. Bourdain uses food as a way to understand people, places, and cultural differences, making this an excellent choice for readers who enjoy travel writing as much as food writing.
5. Typhoid Mary: An Urban Historical (2001)
In Typhoid Mary, Bourdain tells the story of Mary Mallon, an Irish-born cook who became associated with outbreaks of typhoid fever in early twentieth-century New York. The book examines the conflict between public health concerns and the personal rights of a woman who was repeatedly isolated because she carried the bacteria without showing symptoms.
Bourdain approaches the subject through history, food, public fear, and the treatment of working-class people. It is a different kind of book from his restaurant memoirs, offering a focused look at a real historical figure whose story raises difficult questions about health and individual freedom.
6. The Bobby Gold Stories (2001)
The Bobby Gold Stories is a crime novella connected to Bourdain’s fictional underworld. It follows Bobby Gold, a character whose involvement in criminal activity brings danger, difficult choices, and consequences.
The book is shorter than a full-length novel and offers a compact example of Bourdain’s crime writing. Readers who enjoy his darker fictional side may want to read it alongside Bone in the Throat and Gone Bamboo.
7. Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook (2004)
This cookbook draws on the classic French bistro cooking associated with Brasserie Les Halles, the New York restaurant where Bourdain worked as executive chef. It includes recipes and techniques for dishes that reflect traditional restaurant cooking rather than simplified home-cooking trends.
The book is useful for readers who want to recreate French bistro food and understand the methods behind familiar restaurant dishes. Bourdain’s personality comes through in the writing, making the instructions feel connected to his experience in professional kitchens.
8. The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones (2006)
The Nasty Bits collects essays and pieces about food, restaurant life, travel, and the people Bourdain encountered during his career. The title reflects his fascination with the less polished side of the culinary world, including the parts of cooking that are often hidden from customers.
The collection offers a broader view of his interests than a traditional memoir. Readers who enjoy his humor, opinions, and observations about chefs and food culture will find plenty to explore here.
9. No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach (2007)
No Reservations is an illustrated companion to Bourdain’s international food and travel adventures. It combines travel experiences, photographs, and reflections on the meals and people he encountered around the world.
The book captures his interest in places that offer more than polished tourist experiences. It is particularly appealing to readers who enjoyed his television travel series and want a book that brings together food, photography, and cultural observations.
10. Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook (2010)
Medium Raw revisits the world of professional cooking more than a decade after Kitchen Confidential. Bourdain reflects on how the food industry has changed, how his own life has developed, and what fame has taught him about chefs, restaurants, and the culture surrounding food.
The book combines memoir, criticism, and personal commentary. It works especially well after Kitchen Confidential, because readers can compare the younger chef’s perspective with the observations of a writer who has become a public figure.
11. Get Jiro! (2012)
Get Jiro! is a graphic novel co-written by Anthony Bourdain and Joel Rose. Set in a violent, exaggerated future where food culture has become a struggle for power, the story follows Jiro, a sushi chef whose exceptional skills make him a dangerous figure.
The book uses satire to explore food trends, culinary status, and the sometimes absurd intensity of food culture. Its graphic violence and exaggerated premise make it very different from Bourdain’s memoirs and travel books.
12. Get Jiro: Blood and Sushi (2015)
Get Jiro: Blood and Sushi expands the fictional world introduced in Get Jiro! and explores Jiro’s earlier life. The story follows his development as a chef and the events that shape his place in the dangerous world of competing food factions.
As a graphic novel, it combines visual storytelling with the series’ dark humor and action. Read it after Get Jiro! to experience the books in their publication sequence.
13. Appetites: A Cookbook (2016)
Appetites focuses on the food Bourdain enjoyed cooking and eating outside the demands of a professional restaurant kitchen. It includes recipes for home cooking, family meals, and more ambitious dishes, reflecting his belief that good food does not always need to be complicated.
The book offers a more personal side of Bourdain than his restaurant memoirs. It is a useful choice for readers who want practical recipes as well as a sense of the food he valued in his own life.
14. Anthony Bourdain’s Hungry Ghosts (2018)
Hungry Ghosts is a graphic horror anthology co-created by Bourdain and Joel Rose. Inspired by Japanese ghost-story traditions, it brings together supernatural tales involving chefs, food, fear, and the consequences of human behavior.
The book differs sharply from Bourdain’s nonfiction writing, but it shares his interest in food as a cultural force. Its combination of horror, folklore, and culinary themes makes it an unusual addition to his bibliography.
15. World Travel: An Irreverent Guide (2021)
World Travel is a posthumously published travel guide based on Bourdain’s experiences, recommendations, and reflections from years of visiting places around the world. It was completed with Laurie Woolever, his longtime assistant and collaborator.
The book gathers information about destinations, food, and experiences that mattered to Bourdain. It is a fitting choice for readers who want to explore the places he visited and understand the curiosity that drove his travel writing.
16. The Anthony Bourdain Reader: New, Classic, and Rediscovered Writing (2025)
The Anthony Bourdain Reader collects writing from across Bourdain’s career, bringing together familiar work and material that readers may not have encountered before. It offers a broader view of his voice as a writer, from food and travel to culture and personal reflection.
This collection is useful for readers who want an overview rather than a single memoir or subject-specific book. It also gives longtime fans a way to revisit his writing and discover additional pieces in one volume.
Anthony Bourdain’s Books by Category
Bourdain wrote across several genres, so you do not have to follow publication order if you already know what interests you most.
Memoirs and Food Writing
These books explore his life as a chef, the restaurant industry, and his views on food culture.
- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (2000)
- The Nasty Bits (2006)
- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook (2010)
Start with Kitchen Confidential if you want the clearest introduction to Bourdain’s voice and his experiences in restaurant kitchens.
Travel Books
These titles follow his curiosity about food, people, and places around the world.
- A Cook’s Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal (2001)
- No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach (2007)
- World Travel: An Irreverent Guide (2021)
A Cook’s Tour is a good place to begin if you enjoy travel stories that connect local food with culture and everyday life.
Cookbooks
Bourdain’s cookbooks combine practical cooking with his knowledge of restaurant techniques and food traditions.
- Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook (2004)
- Appetites: A Cookbook (2016)
Choose Les Halles Cookbook for French bistro cooking and Appetites for the dishes he enjoyed preparing at home.
Crime Fiction
Bourdain also wrote fiction featuring criminal characters and dark humor.
- Bone in the Throat (1995)
- Gone Bamboo (1997)
- The Bobby Gold Stories (2001)
These books are best for readers who want to explore his fictional writing rather than his real-life experiences in the culinary world.
Graphic Novels
His graphic novels combine food culture with satire, crime, horror, and exaggerated storytelling.
- Get Jiro! (2012), co-written with Joel Rose
- Get Jiro: Blood and Sushi (2015), co-written with Joel Rose
- Anthony Bourdain’s Hungry Ghosts (2018), co-created with Joel Rose
Read the two Get Jiro! books in order. Hungry Ghosts is a separate anthology and does not need to be read alongside them.
Where Should You Start with Anthony Bourdain?
The best first book depends on what you want to learn about him.
- For his life as a chef: Start with Kitchen Confidential.
- For travel and international food: Read A Cook’s Tour.
- For a follow-up to his famous memoir: Choose Medium Raw.
- For recipes: Try Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook or Appetites.
- For crime fiction: Start with Bone in the Throat.
- For graphic novels: Begin with Get Jiro!.
- For an overview of his writing: Read The Anthony Bourdain Reader.
You do not need to read all his books in order to appreciate his work. Many of them stand alone, and reading by category is a practical way to discover the parts of his writing that interest you most.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books did Anthony Bourdain write?
The total depends on how a bibliography counts collections, collaborative books, and posthumous publications. His major bibliography includes crime fiction, memoirs, food and travel writing, cookbooks, graphic novels, and the later collection The Anthony Bourdain Reader.
What was Anthony Bourdain’s first book?
Bone in the Throat, published in 1995, was his debut novel. It is a crime story set in the restaurant world, written before Kitchen Confidential made him widely known.
What is Anthony Bourdain’s most famous book?
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly is generally his best-known book. Its frank account of professional kitchens helped introduce a wide audience to his distinctive style and experiences as a chef.
Should I read Kitchen Confidential before Medium Raw?
Yes, if possible. Medium Raw revisits many of the themes and experiences explored in Kitchen Confidential, while reflecting on how Bourdain’s life and the food industry changed over time.
Did Anthony Bourdain write fiction?
Yes. He wrote the crime novels Bone in the Throat, Gone Bamboo, and The Bobby Gold Stories. He also co-created graphic novels with Joel Rose, including Get Jiro! and Hungry Ghosts.
What is the last book by Anthony Bourdain?
World Travel: An Irreverent Guide was published in 2021 after his death, with Laurie Woolever. The Anthony Bourdain Reader followed in 2025 as a collection of his writing.
Final Thoughts on Anthony Bourdain Books in Order
Anthony Bourdain’s books offer much more than stories about restaurant kitchens. His memoirs reveal the pressures and personalities of the culinary world, his travel writing explores how food connects people and cultures, and his fiction shows a darker, more imaginative side of his work.
If you are new to his writing, start with Kitchen Confidential and then move to A Cook’s Tour or Medium Raw. If food is your main interest, explore his cookbooks; if you prefer fiction, begin with Bone in the Throat or Get Jiro!.
There is no single required reading order for his entire bibliography. Choose the books that match your interests, and you will find a distinctive writer whose curiosity about food was also a curiosity about people, places, and the way the world works.
Leave a Reply