Tales of the City: A Novel

The first novel in the beloved Tales of the City series, Armistead Maupin’s bestselling San Francisco saga, and inspiration for the Netflix original series, Tales of the City

“A consummate entertainer who has made a generation laugh. . . . It is Maupin’s Dickensian gift to be able to render love convincingly.”— Edmund White, Times Literary Supplement

For almost four decades Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City has blazed its own trail through popular culture—from a groundbreaking newspaper serial to a classic novel, to a television event that entranced millions around the world. The first of ten novels about the denizens of the mythic apartment house at 28 Barbary Lane, Tales is both a sparkling comedy of manners and an indelible portrait of an era that changed forever the way we live.

For almost four decades Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City has blazed its own trail through popular culture—from a groundbreaking newspaper serial to a classic novel, to a television event that entranced millions around the world. The first of nine novels about the denizens of the mythic apartment house at 28 Barbary Lane, Tales is both a sparkling comedy of manners and an indelible portrait of an era that forever changed the way we live.

“A consummate entertainer who has made a generation laugh. . . . It is Maupin’s Dickensian gift to be able to render love convincingly.” - Edmund White, Times Literary Supplement

“An enormously talented writer—witty but always sympathetic, generous in showing us the secrets of his heart...By writing about what’s seemingly different Armistead Maupin always manages to capture what’s so hilariously painfully true for all of us.” - Amy Tan

“Perhaps the most sublime piece of popular literature America has ever produced. . . . As with the Beatles, everyone seems to like Maupin’s tales—and really, why would you want to find someone who didn’t?” - Salon

“Maupin is a peerless visionary who created a queer community of friends decades ago and is still at the top of his game.” - Library Journal