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Book · by Larry Niven

How many pages is Lucifer's Hammer?

Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven has a median of 628 pages across 6 English-language print editions with a recorded page count; the middle half of editions run 528 to 636 pages.

Median pages
628
6 editions counted
Range
494–640
shortest to longest edition
Reading time
11h
at 260 wpm (fiction average)
Words (est.)
173k
at 275 words per page

How long will Lucifer's Hammer take you?

Starts at the fiction average of 260 words per minute and 275 words per page. Move the slider to your own speed.

Reading time
11 h 05 min
At 30 min a day
23 days
At 1 hour a day
12 days

Page count of every edition, by year

Each dot is one English-language print edition. Shaded: middle half of editions. Line: median.

50055060065019801985199019951977: 494 pages1977: 494 pages1978: 639 pages1985: 640 pages1998: 629 pages1998: 628 pagesmedian 628
500550600650198019901977: 494 pages1977: 494 pages1978: 639 pages1985: 640 pages1998: 629 pages1998: 628 pagesmedian 628
Open Library edition records (2026-09-30 dump).

Editions counted

The 6 editions behind the figures above, newest first. Open Library lists 14 editions of this work in all languages and formats.

YearPublisherFormatPagesOpen Library
1998Ballantine Pub. Group–629OL714732M
1998Del ReyPaperback628OL9869398M
1985Del Rey–640OL7565775M
1978Orbit–639OL16690232M
1977Playboy Press–494OL4541302M
1977Playboy PressHardcover494OL22033975M

More by Larry Niven

All 4 books by Larry Niven with page counts

Questions

How many pages is Lucifer's Hammer?
About 628 pages: that is the median of 6 English-language print editions on Open Library. Editions range from 494 to 640 pages.
How long does it take to read Lucifer's Hammer?
About 11 h 05 min at 260 words per minute, assuming 275 words per page. At 30 minutes a day that is 23 days.
How many words is Lucifer's Hammer?
Roughly 173,000 words, estimated from the median page count at 275 words per page. Open Library does not record word counts, so this is an estimate.

Data: Open Library monthly data dumps (works, editions, authors, reading log, ratings) (Open Library / Internet Archive); How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate (Marc Brysbaert, Journal of Memory and Language 109 (2019)).