How many words are in Of Mice and Men?

by John Steinbeck · 1937 · Literary Fiction

29,160
Word count
2 hr 3 min
Reading time
117
Est. pages
1937
Published

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is approximately 29,160 wordslong. At an average reading speed of 238 words per minute, that's about 2 hr 3 min of reading spread across several sittings. First published in 1937, it sits in the Literary Fiction category.

Typical literary fiction novels run 70,000100,000 words, with a sweet spot around 80,000–90,000. At 29,160 words, Of Mice and Men comes in below the typical range — closer to a novella in length.

Source: Reedsy word count database; Covici Friede edition · referenceVerified 2026-06-19

Literary Fiction novels of similar length

TitleAuthorWord count
The Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald47,094
The Catcher in the RyeJ.D. Salinger73,404
The Picture of Dorian GrayOscar Wilde78,462
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee100,388
Wuthering HeightsEmily Brontë107,945
BelovedToni Morrison109,211