Thom Jones is an American writer, primarily of short stories. Jones was raised in Aurora, Illinois and attended the University of Hawaii where he played catcher on the baseball team. He later attended the University of Washington, where he graduated in 1970, and the University of Iowa where he received an M.F.A. in 1973.

His first book, published in 1993, was a short story collection, also called The Pugilist at Rest. The stories deal with the common themes of mortality and pain, with characters that often find a kind of solace in the rather pessimistic philosophy of Schopenhauer. Boxing, absent or mentally ill fathers', physical trauma and the Vietnam War are also recurring motifs. The book was a National Book Award finalist. His other books include Cold Snap (1995) and Sonny Liston Was a Friend of Mine (1999), both collections of short stories. Recently he has written scripts for feature films, including a Vietnam screenplay for Cheyenne, actor Bruce Willis' production company and an adaptation of deceased Mississippi author Larry Brown's final novel, "The Rabbit Factory".