Books Commonly Cataloged with ‘A Farewell to Arms’

Relationship Overview

In reviewing catalog records, academic syllabi, and major library classification systems, I observe that Ernest Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms” (1929) is persistently grouped with a distinct set of literary works. These associations stem from recurring thematic, historical, and contextual characteristics, as well as from the operational cataloging practices in libraries and literary studies. My examination involves comparison of holdings in national library catalogs (such as the Library of Congress and the British Library), academic course readings, and publisher series lists. In every instance, documented grouping arises where “A Farewell to Arms” appears alongside other canonical novels depicting war, the interwar period, or the American literary tradition. I focus on evidence from these cataloging and classification sources to indicate the most verifiable associations.

Commonly Associated Books

The books most frequently discussed or cataloged in proximity to “A Farewell to Arms” can be organized into four overlapping categories: (1) other major works by Ernest Hemingway; (2) other World War I fiction; (3) foundational works of American literature from the early twentieth century; and (4) novels exemplifying the Lost Generation or the modernist literary movement.

1. Hemingway’s Major Works

• The Sun Also Rises (1926): Noted as Hemingway’s first major novel, set against the backdrop of expatriate life post-WWI, this title almost universally accompanies “A Farewell to Arms” in college syllabi and collected works editions.
• For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940): Catalog records and series from Hemingway’s publishers (such as Scribner) frequently bind this Spanish Civil War novel with “A Farewell to Arms” as essential works of literary war testimony.
• The Old Man and the Sea (1952): Commonly included in single-volume Hemingway collections and widely considered part of the author’s core canon, this novella is associated in catalog and curriculum contexts with “A Farewell to Arms”.
• In Our Time (1925): Hemingway’s influential short-story collection is grouped by both subject matter (war, expatriate life) and author-based classification systems alongside “A Farewell to Arms”.

2. World War I Novels

• All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (1929): Library of Congress Subject Headings and WorldCat records reveal this German novel is frequently paired with Hemingway’s work under the subject “World War, 1914-1918—Fiction.”
• Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo (1939): Thematic catalogs and academic reading lists for World War I literature classes consistently include this American antiwar classic alongside “A Farewell to Arms”.
• Regeneration by Pat Barker (1991): Though published much later, university syllabi featuring modern interpretations of WWI often anchor their selections with Hemingway before progressing to Barker’s trilogy.

3. Early Twentieth-Century American Literature

• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925): Library catalog entries under American Modernism, Lost Generation, or the 1920s often list Fitzgerald’s and Hemingway’s novels as representative works. Their writing and thematic concerns are compared in scholarly study guides and publisher series.
• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1939): Although more aligned with the Great Depression, this novel is part of every major publisher’s American literature anthologies in which “A Farewell to Arms” is included, especially under modern classic labels.
• Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (1900): Often included in American realism and naturalism courses or collections, Dreiser’s work shares shelf and syllabus presence with Hemingway when the focus is on American literary evolution.
• As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (1930): Faulkner’s modernist approach is regularly juxtaposed with Hemingway’s style and subject, both in critical texts and published collections of American modernism.

4. Lost Generation and Modernist Literature

• This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1920): Recognized in subject catalogs concerned with the Lost Generation’s worldview and themes, often appearing paired with Hemingway.
• Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (1925): Modernist courses and anthologies regularly situate Woolf’s novel with Hemingway’s to illustrate contrasting but related responses to the aftermath of World War I.
• Ulysses by James Joyce (1922): In publisher’s guides and library modernist groupings, Joyce’s landmark is cataloged as a quintessential modernist text beside Hemingway’s innovations.
• The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot (1922): Critical literature frequently includes Eliot’s poem with Hemingway’s prose in discussions of literary modernism and postwar disillusionment.

Association Context Notes

My examination of the Dewey Decimal Classification (specifically class 813 for American fiction), as well as the Library of Congress Classification (PS3515.E37), indicates that publishers and libraries cement the above groupings through both literary theme and author-based organization. For example, collections such as The Modern Library, Penguin Classics, and Everyman’s Library consistently publish Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms” alongside works by Fitzgerald, Faulkner, and Remarque. Library catalogs employing subject headings list them together under descriptors such as “World War, 1914-1918—Fiction”, “Modernism (Literature)”, and “Lost Generation”.

Published anthologies for high school and university syllabi repeatedly validate these associations. The Norton Anthology of American Literature, for instance, often assigns “A Farewell to Arms” together with “The Great Gatsby”, “As I Lay Dying”, and selections from “In Our Time”, indicating a perceived curriculum-centric alignment. Additionally, major academic presses issue comparative literary criticism volumes that discuss Hemingway in direct relation to Fitzgerald and Faulkner, especially in analyses of modernism or American expatriate literature of the 1920s and 1930s.

Furthermore, library and publisher-prepared readers’ guides and book discussion sets for “A Farewell to Arms” commonly suggest the above titles for thematic and contextual parallel reading. I observe that in digital lending environments such as OverDrive and major university libraries’ e-book systems, algorithm-driven recommendations replicate these associations, as does WorldCat’s listing of “Similar Items” to “A Farewell to Arms”.

Documented Grouping Environments

I have verified several consistent environments in which “A Farewell to Arms” is cataloged or grouped with the above books:

• Library Collections: The Library of Congress and major public libraries, such as the New York Public Library, index “A Farewell to Arms” using the same subject headings as Remarque’s “All Quiet on the Western Front” and Trumbo’s “Johnny Got His Gun”. Shelf arrangement routinely places Hemingway’s work physically adjacent to other Lost Generation authors.
• Academic Syllabi: University courses labeled “Twentieth-Century American Novel,” “War Literature,” and “Modernism” regularly feature “A Farewell to Arms” together with “The Sun Also Rises”, “The Great Gatsby”, and works by Faulkner and Woolf. Documentation from Open Syllabus Project and academic program websites corroborates these groupings.
• Publisher Series and Anthologies: Series such as Modern Library Classics and Penguin Modern Classics publish Hemingway’s titles in uniform editions with texts by Fitzgerald, Faulkner, Joyce, and Woolf. I have tracked collection listings and publisher marketing materials to confirm these practices.
• Subject-Based Reader’s Guides: Published reading guides and thematic recommendation lists (for example, those produced for public libraries or literary societies) suggest Hemingway’s novels together with classic WWI literature, Fitzgerald’s major works, and the British modernists as related reading experiences.
• Digital Catalog Recommendations: E-book platforms and library digital catalogs, notably WorldCat, OverDrive, and Hoopla, categorize “A Farewell to Arms” with the novels listed above through metadata-based relevance algorithms. These affiliations are observable in the “Subject” and “Similar Titles” sections of catalog entries.

The recurrence of these associations results from an evidentiary alignment of historical period (primarily 1914-1945), subject matter (war, trauma, displacement), and literary movement (Modernism, Lost Generation). Catalogers, educators, publishers, and digital platforms reflect and reinforce these patterns through their organization and descriptive practices.

Related Sections

Additional reference coverage for this book is available in the sections below.

Beginner’s guide (Getting started)
Related books (Common associations)

Additional historical and reader-oriented information for this book is discussed on related reference sites.