He is suspicious of e-books, does not like to have his picture taken, and is often rumored to be on the short-list of American novelists who might win the Nobel prize for literature.

The secretive novelist Thomas Pynchon is back. He will publish a new book, titled “The Bleeding Edge,” his long-time publisher, Penguin Press, said on Friday. No publication date has been set.

Mr. Pynchon has won loyal fans for his intricate narratives that use the 1960s and ’70s as touchstones and frequently combine popular cultural references with obscure history. He is the author of “V.,” “The Crying of Lot 49,” “Mason & Dixon” and the critically acclaimed “Gravity’s Rainbow,” which won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1974. However, his last title, “Inherent Vice” in 2009, got mixed reviews.