The Anthony Bourdain Reader: New, Classic, and Rediscovered Writing

The definitive, career-spanning collection of writing from Anthony Bourdain, assembled for the first time in book form

Anthony Bourdain represented many things to many people—and he had many sides. But no part of his identity was more important to him, and more long-lasting, than that of a writer. The Anthony Bourdain Reader is a collection of his best and most fascinating writing, and touches on his many pursuits and passions, from restaurant life to family life to the “low life,” from TV to travel through places like Vietnam, Buenos Aires, Paris, and Shanghai.

The Anthony Bourdain Reader is also a showcase for new and never-before-seen material, like diary entries from Bourdain’s first trip to France as a teenager and “It’s Cruel and Unforgiving Terrain,” a piece on the New York restaurant scene, as well as unpublished short fiction like “I Quit My Job Yesterday” and chapters from No New Messages, his unfinished novel. These newly discovered pieces all contribute to give the fullest picture of the man behind the books.

The Anthony Bourdain Reader is a testament to the enduring and singular voice Bourdain crafted, with eclectic and curated chapters that encapsulate the unique brilliance of his restless mind. Edited by Bourdain’s longtime agent and friend Kimberly Witherspoon and with a foreword by Patrick Radden Keefe, this is an essential reader for any Bourdain fan as well as a vivid and moving recollection of the life and legacy of one of our most distinctive writers.

From the Publisher

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ecco
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 28, 2025
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 512 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062863959
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062863959
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.22 x 9 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #13,788 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #2 in General Asia Travel Books #6 in Literary Diaries & Journals #8 in American Fiction Anthologies
Customer Reviews: 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars (225) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });