Random Book Facts

[JHG]

8. The amount of Nazgûl is the same as the number of Pirate Lords of the Brethren Court.

[slooroo]

Stephen King had so little faith in Carrie he threw it in the trash can unfinished. It was his wife who dug it out, read it, and encouraged him to finish it and try to get it published. The success of it launched King into the horror legend he is today.

[Kyng]

Stephen King had so little faith in Carrie he threw it in the trash can unfinished. It was his wife who dug it out, read it, and encouraged him to finish it and try to get it published. The success of it launched King into the horror legend he is today.

Wow .

Honestly makes me wonder: how many potentially successful authors did we lose, because they had such little faith in their work that they never published it? (And indeed, the same is true of musicians, artists, and so on!)

[slooroo]

Stephen King had so little faith in Carrie he threw it in the trash can unfinished. It was his wife who dug it out, read it, and encouraged him to finish it and try to get it published. The success of it launched King into the horror legend he is today.

Wow .

Honestly makes me wonder: how many potentially successful authors did we lose, because they had such little faith in their work that they never published it? (And indeed, the same is true of musicians, artists, and so on!)

A related fact is that when King finally did get Carrie published he got a $2500 advance. Not a lot but it let him move his small family out of the trailer park and into a small apartment plus have some grocery money for a bit. Initially sales were slow and King figured the book fizzled out and he'd have to keep teaching high school until he got a call that the rights were being bought for $400,000 dollars, $200,000 being his. It was huge since in today's money that's in the millions. It was a completely life changing experience for a man who thought he'd always live a lower middle class life in Maine.

[Kyng]

In the French translation of Harry Potter, Voldemort's full name is "Tom Elvis Jedusor".

This is an anagram of "Je suis Voldemort" .

[slooroo]

The Castle of Ontranto is sometimes considered the first gothic novel. The author Horace Walpole was not only the youngest son of the Prime Minister Robert Walpole but even owned his own printing press to produce his works.

[JHG]

17. The moral of Romeo & Juliet is more “prejudice is stupid” than “true love prevails.” Especially if presenting it uncensored.
Also, the list maker has been sent on a mandatory vacation for messing up the count.

[slooroo]

One really unfortunate lost work is Deeds of Hannibal by Sosylus of Lacedaemon. Sosylus seemed to have worn multiple hats. He was a historian on top of an advisor to the legendary Hannibal Barca and his tutor for learning Greek. Deeds of Hannibal was a seven volume work that detailed at the very least the entire military history of Hannibal if not more and likely held information about the man we don't have today. We only know bits of what it might've said because historians like Polybius used material from it for their own works.

[LadyJirachu]

Reading in general is proven to be great for lowering anxiety

[JHG]

20. Ron Chernow and Atun-Shei Films’ Checkmate Lincolnites both agree Grant is underrated and among the greatest US generals(although Chernow says Grant is better than George Henry Thomas who would be Rakich’s pick as greatest Civil War general.)