How to Cite a Book in MLA Style

Basic Format

Author Last Name, First Name. Book Title. Publisher, Publication Year.

Examples

Single Author

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Scribner, 1925.

Multiple Authors

Smith, John, and Jane Doe. Research Methods in Literature. Academic Press, 2020.

Edited Book

Johnson, Mary, editor. Contemporary American Poetry. Norton, 2019.

E-book

Brown, David. Digital Literature. E-book ed., Tech Publishers, 2021.

In-Text Citations

For in-text citations, use the author's last name and page number:

(Fitzgerald 45)

According to Fitzgerald, "..." (45).

Key Points

  • Italicize book titles
  • Use title case for book titles
  • Include the publisher and publication year
  • For multiple authors, only reverse the first author's name
  • For e-books, include edition information when available

Need to Create an MLA Book Citation?

Use our free citation generator to automatically format your book citations in MLA style.

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How to Cite a Book in MLA Style

Basic Format

Author Last Name, First Name. Book Title. Publisher, Publication Year.

Examples

Single Author

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Scribner, 1925.

Multiple Authors

Smith, John, and Jane Doe. Research Methods in Literature. Academic Press, 2020.

Edited Book

Johnson, Mary, editor. Contemporary American Poetry. Norton, 2019.

E-book

Brown, David. Digital Literature. E-book ed., Tech Publishers, 2021.

In-Text Citations

For in-text citations, use the author's last name and page number:

(Fitzgerald 45)

According to Fitzgerald, "..." (45).

Key Points

  • Italicize book titles
  • Use title case for book titles
  • Include the publisher and publication year
  • For multiple authors, only reverse the first author's name
  • For e-books, include edition information when available

Need to Create an MLA Book Citation?

Need to generate citations quickly? Try our free citation generator for instant MLA formatting.

Generate MLA Citation