Any work that runs at more than one volume or installment. Usually, these works tend to be much longer than your average book, but there are exceptions. The work itself can be considered one large story broken into parts or several smaller stories with recurring themes and characters.
The reasons for breaking a story up into parts can vary. Some books, like The Lord of the Rings, were considered too long by the publisher, making this an example of Executive Meddling. Other times, this is simply a demand of the medium or genre that the author works in. For example, the novels of Charles Dickens were all serialized in fiction magazines due to the prohibitive cost of book printing. In both of these cases, the stories are considered one large work and are often combined in one volume for sale later. See also: Serial Novel, Divided for Publication.
Other times, the works are meant to be individual stories that stand on their own. This can be the intention of the author from the start. Other times, such as with an unexpected Cash-Cow Franchise, one book that was meant to be self-contained becomes outrageously popular, prompting sequels.
This is a literature trope and an example of Prose Fiction.
Examples:
- Alice in Wonderland was originally published as two separate books: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass.
- Arabian Nights: The Mardrus & Mathers translation was published in four volumes, totaling over 2300 pages.
- Isaac Asimov:
- Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare: Because of the word count, it was decided to release this work as two volumes at first. Volume One contains the Greek, Roman, and Italian plays. Volume Two contains the plays set in England. When binding technology improved, the work was re-released as an Omnibus.
- His Auto Biography (one set of them, at least) was published in two Doorstopper volumes; In Memory Yet Green and In Joy Still Felt.
- Isaac Asimov: The Complete Stories: When the first volume was published, it wasn't certain how many volumes it would take to republish all of Dr Asimov's short fiction. The series, being obviously incomplete, may stay that way due to Dr Asimov's death the same year Volume 2 was published.
- Charles Dickens:
- Harry Potter
- The Wheel of Time
- Don Quixote was originally two books published a decade apart. Today they are usually printed together as one volume.
- When published by the Ministry of Image, Fallout: Equestria was divided into four separate volumes for ease of reading, each with their own cover art.
- Jasper Fforde:
- Nursery Crime: Two books so far, with a third book stuck in Development Hell.
- Thursday Next: Seven books and counting.
- The Great SF Stories collects the "best" short fiction stories between the Golden Age of Science Fiction until the New Wave decades later. Each volume is dedicated to a specific year, covering 1939 until 1963 (and then another volume for 1964 was produced a decade later).
- The Green Mile spanned six volumes.
- Inheritance Cycle: Originally called a trilogy, the third book was split in two when it achieved Doorstopper status.
- Out of This World: This Anthology by Amabel Williams Ellis ran for ten volumes (eight with Mably Owen and two with Michael Pearson). In addition, two Omnibus editions were published.
- Princesses of the Pizza Parlor is 13 episodes and counting.
- Red Mars Trilogy includes three parts.
- The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume One: Shortly after the Nebula Award was created, the Science Fiction Writers of America wanted to honour the stories and authors from before its inception. The members nominated and voted on stories that had been printed before 1 January 1965, the first-year stories became candidates for Nebulas. The stories with the most votes would be republished in a multi-volume anthology of stories.
- Science Fiction Verhalen ran for six volumes.
- Nahoko Uehashi:
- The Beast Player: The original novel was released in two books and so was the sequel.
- Moribito: Guardian of the God and Guardian of Heaven and Earth were released in multiple books.
- The Twilight Saga includes four books: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn.
- Warrior Cats