15 Awesome Facts About Books And The Wonderful People Who Write Them

We can all agree that books are awesome and everything about books gets our literary brains super excited! To add to your bookish knowledge, check out these 15 fun facts about the books and authors we love:

 

1. Mark Twain invented an early version of the Post-It note!

We never knew you were so crafty, Mark.

SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA

Source: Wikipedia

2. Stieg Larsson said he wrote The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Pippi Longstocking in mind because he wondered what she would be like as an adult!

I never would have imagined Pippi and Lisbeth being inspirations of one another!

SOURCE: AMAZON

Source: Amazon

3. Tennessee Williams died from choking on a bottle cap.

Major yikes!

SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA

Source: Wikipedia

4. The word ‘bookseller’ in Danish is ‘boghandler’.

Now you can go impress your friends with your newly learned word of the day!

SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA

Source: Wikipedia

5. Love the smell of old books? You’ve got bibliosmia.

Ever wonder how these old books get their smell? Check out this video.

SOURCE: WIKIMEDIA

Source: Wikimedia

6. Author Ray Bradbury was a direct descendent of a Salem witch, Mary Perkins Bradbury.

How spooky!

SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA

Source: Wikipedia

7. Roald Dahl was once a taste-tester for Cadbury’s chocolate.

Maybe this is where he got some inspiration for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?

SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA

Source: Wikipedia

8. Edgar Allen Poe originally wanted a parrot to repeat the word “nevermore” in his famous poem, but decided against it as the bird wasn’t melancholy enough.

Sorry birdie, you missed your shot at fame.

SOURCE; WIKIPEDIA

Source: Wikipedia

9. Pride and Prejudice was originally entitled First Impressions.

I like the one Jane decided to go with. Which title do you prefer?

SOURCE: GUARDIAN

Source: Amazon

10. There’s a motorway in England (the M6) that was built using 2.5 million pulped books – and they were all Mills and Boon romances.

I would love to drive on this just because!

SOURCE: WIKIMEDIA

Source: Wikimedia

11. The longest sentence ever printed can be found in Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. It’s a staggering 823 words long!

Do you think you could beat this?

SOURCE: AMAZON

Source: Amazon

12. Cinderella’s glass slippers? Originally, they were made from fur but the story was changed in the 1600s by a translator.

Yeah…good thing the glass made it through. Can you imagine how sweaty the Princess’ feet would’ve been?

SOURCE: WIKIMEDIA

Source: Wikimedia

13. Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe was the first American novel to sell one million copies.

Even though the novel was quite controversial, that’s an amazing accomplishment!

SOURCE: AMAZON

Source: Amazon

14. Ernest Hemingway is thought to have written the shortest story in the world. It has six words: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

Frankly, I think most lovers of classic literature would read Hemingway’s grocery lists if they could!

SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA

Source: Wikipedia

15. It took JD Salinger ten years to write The Catcher in the Rye.

Looks that Salinger really was determined to write this classic!

SOURCE: AMAZON

Source: Amazon

What are some random facts you know about authors and books?

YouTube Channel: Awesomebooks

 

Featured image via Bowen Alumni

h/t For Reading Addicts

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