Readers rejoice! Learn amazing facts about authors and their books,
from Jane Austen to JRR Tolkien.
"With sumptuous, visually stimulating spreads, this book delivers on its
promise- to unearth strange stories, bizarre facts, or unexpected
details about the books on our shelves. Good for curious readers,
whether they want to delve into authors and books they love, feel
competent faking knowledge about books everyone else seems to have read,
or just dip into and out of literary worlds" - Library Journal
Readers rejoice! From Mental Floss, an online destination for more
than a billion curious minds since its founding in 2001, comes the
ultimate book for lovers of literature. From Americanah to War and
Peace, from Chinua Achebe and Jane Austen to Jesmyn Ward and George
R.R. Martin, learn surprising facts about the world's most famous novels
and novelists.
The Curious Reader will delight bookworms everywhere. This literary
compendium from Mental Floss reveals fascinating facts about the world's
most famous authors and their literary works. Readers will learn about
George Orwell's near-death experience during the writing of 1984; meet
the real man who may have inspired Pride and Prejudice's Mr. Darcy;
discover which famous author kept her husband's heart after he passed
away; and learn about the influence of psychedelics on Dune. The
Curious Reader also contains the most-loved book-related articles from
20 years of Mental Floss, including "Cat-Loving Writers," "Famous
Authors' Unfinished Manuscripts," "Literary Characters Based on Real
People," and "Books You Didn't Know Were Self-Published."
This literary miscellany is certain to inspire book lovers, aspiring
writers, students, and teachers alike to discover a diverse selection of
curated literary works--leading to an expansion of their library!
