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Article created by: MarxBros

Authors are a special group of people, almost living in a world of their own, always on the hunt for inspiration. That being said, here are 28 highly interesting tidbits from the history of literature that I collected.

#1

The First Book Bought On Amazon Was 'Fluid Concepts And Creative Analogies: Computer Models Of The Fundamental Mechanisms Of Thought' In 1995

Book cover of Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies by Douglas Hofstadter, related to literature history insights.

Not, it wasn't a bestseller.

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Danny Mertens
Community Member
8 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hofstadter also wrote " Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid ", a Pullitzer winner. I know nobody who finished it.

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    #2

    Sci-Fi Writer Arthur C. Clarke Elaborately Predicted The Internet

    Black and white photo of a man in glasses and suit with machinery in the background, related to literature history facts.

    Arthur C. Clarke, most famous for his sci-fi masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey, predicted many things throughout his literary career. For example, he predicted the internet in 1964, saying: '[We] will have in our own [console] through which we can talk to our friendly local computer and get all the information needed for everyday life, like our bank statements, our theater reservations... all the information we need.'

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    Data1001
    Community Member
    8 months ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Not to demean Clarke, who was great, but I mean, that novel came out in 1968, and ARPANET, the precursor to the Internet, officially arrived on the scene in 1969, but was in development as early as 1966. So Clarke might have gotten wind of the developing technology at the time, and it wouldn't take much extrapolation from that to imagine all the things that connected computers could do.

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    #3

    All The Proceeds Earned From J.M. Barrie’s Book "Peter Pan" Were Given To The Great Ormond Street Hospital For Sick Children In London

    Vintage edition of Peter Pan book by James M Barrie, illustrating classic literature history and iconic story characters.

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    #4

    As A Schoolboy, Roald Dahl Was A Taste Tester For Cadbury’s Chocolate Eggs

    Black and white portrait of a man in a suit and tie, illustrating interesting facts from literature history.

    This may explain the origins of the Welsh author's famous novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

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    #5

    John Steinbeck’s Dog Ate The Original Script For Of "Mice And Men"

    Black and white portrait of a man with a mustache, representing historical literature figures in literature history facts.

    Steinbeck's puppy was left alone one evening and found the manuscript in question. Steinbeck wrote to his agent, saying, 'I was pretty mad, but the poor little fellow may have been acting critically.'

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    Data1001
    Community Member
    8 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Probably didn't care for the scene with Lennie and the puppy. (If you know, you know.)

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    #6

    Agatha Christie Is The Best-Selling Novelist Of All Time

    Black and white portrait of a woman with styled hair and a pearl necklace, representing literature history facts.

    The legendary author wrote a total of 66 detective novels, most of them revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.

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    #7

    Celebrated Novelist George Eliot Was Actually A Woman

    Portrait of a 19th century woman in historical clothing, representing key figures in literature history facts.

    George Eliot, one of the most celebrated British authors of the 19th century, was a woman. Although female authors were published under their own names during her lifetime, she wanted to avoid the stereotype of women's writing being limited to lighthearted romances or other lighter fare.

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    #8

    British Author Charles Dickens's House Had A Secret Door In The Form Of A Fake Bookcase

    Hidden bookshelf door revealing antique leather-bound books in a dimly lit library, showcasing literature history and rare collections.

    The fake books included titles such as ‘The Life of a Cat’ in 9 volumes.

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    #9

    Frank Baum, The Author Of The Wizard Of Oz, Named His Novel After A Filing Cabinet Kept In His Office

    Black and white photo of a thoughtful man with glasses and a mustache, representing literature history facts.

    One cabinet was labeled “A to N,” and the second was labeled “O to Z.”

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    Data1001
    Community Member
    8 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And the name of the character Elphaba in Wicked, is inspired by L. Frank Baum's name.

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    #10

    Sherlock Holmes Is The Most Portrayed Fictional Character In Movie History

    Portrait illustration of a thoughtful man in vintage attire, representing interesting facts from literature history.

    More than 70 actors have taken the role.

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    #11

    William Shakespeare Is Said To Have Invented More Than 1,000 Words And Modern Everyday Phrases

    Engraving of William Shakespeare, a key figure in literature history, wearing period clothing with a distinctive ruffled collar.

    The phrases "bookworm," "bibliophile," "vanish into thin air," "gloomy," "puking," "amazement," "countless," "gnarled," "radiance," "majestic," "critic," and "bedroom" had never before been recorded in English literature and were presumably coined by the playwright. The name Jessica is also said to have made its first appearance in his 1598 play "The Merchant of Venice."

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    #12

    The Monster In Mary Shelley’s "Frankenstein" Has No Name

    Portrait of a 19th-century woman in dark attire, representing literature history and interesting facts from the literary world.

    A common misunderstanding is that the monster is named Frankenstein, when in fact he remains nameless throughout the novel. It is thought that during a reading of the book, Shelley referred to the monster as 'Adam,' a nod to the Garden of Eden.

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    #13

    The Most Expensive Book Ever Purchased Cost Over 30 Million Dollars

    Red chalk drawing of Leonardo da Vinci with flowing hair, a classic example relevant to literature history facts.

    Tech billionaire Bill Gates bought the Codex Leicester, one of Leonardo da Vinci’s scientific journals, for $30.8 million. The work consists of 18 sheets of paper, and is handwritten by Da Vinci, using his mirror writing.

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    #14

    The English Motorway M6 Was Built Upon 2.5 Million Discarded Copies Of Romance Novels

    Aerial view of city highways and bridges at sunset illustrating interesting facts from literature history.

    In 2003, approximately 2.5 million unsold books from the UK romance book publisher Mills & Boon were used in the reconstruction of an M6 motorway in the UK.

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    #15

    Talking Animals Were Initially Banned In China

    Vintage book cover of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll featuring Alice and the White Rabbit, highlighting literature history facts.

    In 1870 the Governor of Hunan Province in China banned Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice in Wonderland believing that animals should not be given the power to use the language of humans and to put animals and humans on the same level would be ”disastrous”.

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    Data1001
    Community Member
    8 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I take it he wouldn't have been very fond of The Planet of the Apes, then.

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    #16

    Arthur Conan Doyle Helped Popularize Skiing By Being The First Author To Describe It In The English Language

    Vintage black and white photograph showing people skiing on a snowy hill, illustrating interesting facts from literature history.

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    #17

    The First Novel Was Written By Japanese Author Murasaki Shikibu Around The Year 1000

    The Tale of Genji book cover with traditional Japanese art illustrating historical literature facts.

    The Tale of Genji is a depiction of the lifestyles of high courtiers during the Heian period.

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    #18

    "One Thousand And One Nights" Didn't Originally Contain The Tale Of Aladdin

    Book cover of Tales from 1001 Nights featuring Aladdin and Ali Baba, illustrating interesting facts from literature history.

    The classic medieval collection One Thousand and One Nights didn't include the stories of Aladdin, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and Sinbad the Sailor. These were added by French literature professor Jean Antoine Galland in the 18th century.

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    #19

    Sting Wrote The Song 'Every Breath You Take' At The Same Desk Where Ian Fleming Wrote His James Bond Novels

    Black and white photo of a man sitting by a desk with books and a typewriter highlighting literature history facts.

    "Sting wrote the song 'Every Breath You Take' at the same desk that Ian Fleming used to write his James Bond novels. Sting was renting the Fleming Villa in Goldeneye on the island of Jamaica while composing the famous track.

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    #20

    C.S. Lewis Modeled The Protagonist Of The "Chronicles Of Narnia" On J.R.R. Tolkien

    Two men in vintage suits sitting and smoking pipes, representing significant figures in literature history facts.

    British writers J.R.R. Tolkien (author of The Lord of the Rings) and C.S. Lewis (author of The Chronicles of Narnia) were close friends. While serving on the English faculty at Oxford University, they were active in the Oxford literary group known as the Inklings. They regularly read newly written passages of their work for feedback. Lewis even modeled the protagonist of his works after his friend and fellow author, J.R.R. Tolkien.

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    #21

    Ernest Hemingway Once Took Home The Urinal From His Favourite Bar

    Vintage black and white photo of a man drinking from a bottle, illustrating interesting facts from literature history.

    Ernest Hemingway once took home the urinal from his favorite bar, arguing that he'd 'pissed away' so much of his money into it that he owned it.

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    #22

    The Longest Novel In History Is 4215 Pages Long

    Black and white portrait of a man with mustache seated on ornate chairs, related to interesting facts from literature history.

    French novelist Marcel Proust wrote his masterpiece "In Search of Lost Time" from 1909 to 1922. With 9,609,000 characters, it is considered the longest novel in history. The book tells the story of the narrator’s experiences growing up, while reflecting on the loss of time and lack of meaning in the world.

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    #23

    The Longest Sentence In Literature Is 4391 Words In Total

    Black and white portrait of a man wearing glasses and a hat, representing literature history and its interesting facts.

    Irish novelist James Joyce published his masterpiece Ulysses in 1922. It takes place over one day in Dublin and contains a sentence consisting of 4391 words in total.

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    #24

    Allegedly, Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, Vladimir Nabokov, And Albert Camus All Preferred Writing Standing Up

    Elderly man standing at a desk writing notes, illustrating a moment related to literature history facts.

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    #25

    Although Sci-Fi Author Isaac Asimov Mainly Wrote About Space Travel, He Only Boarded A Real Airplane Twice

    Black and white portrait of a man wearing glasses and a bow tie, related to interesting facts from literature history.

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    Data1001
    Community Member
    8 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Asimov was afraid of flying. Kind of amazing he was able to mostly avoid it, since he was active until his death in 1992. 1946 was apparently the 2nd and last time he flew.

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    #26

    Jack Kerouac, The Author Of The Highly Influential Novel On The Road, Never Learned How To Drive

    Black and white photo of a man in a coat on the street, capturing a moment from literature history.

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    #27

    The Longest Word In Literature Comes From Aristophanes’ Play Assemblywomen, Dated 391 BC

    Marble bust of ancient Greek playwright with inscriptions representing literature history facts and legacy.

    It is: 'Lopado­­temacho­­selacho­­galeo­­kranio­­leipsano­­drim­­hypo­­trimmato­­silphio­­parao­­melito­­katakechy­­meno­­kichl­­epi­­kossypho­­phatto­­perister­­alektryon­­opte­­kephallio­­kigklo­­peleio­­lagoio­­siraio­­baphe­­tragano­­pterygon.' It's apparently a description of some kind of fictional dish.

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