Category: Words
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Book Fact: Don’t Believe Everything You Hear
Many people believe that Charles Dickens was paid by the word, which is why many of his books are so lengthy. The statement is a myth; Charles Dickens was not paid by the word, but rather by installment as his novels were serialized His writing was often lengthy because serial publication required him to provide enough…
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Book Fact: Definitions Take Time
Noah Webster’s famous work, the two-volume An American Dictionary of the English Language, was a huge undertaking. He began work on this comprehensive dictionary in 1807 (the year after the first one was published) and worked on it for approximately 20 to 22 years, publishing it in 1828 at the age of 70. Aome Some say it…
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Book Fact: Her Wrist Was so Tired
Tolstoy’s handwriting was notoriously difficult to read, making his manuscript a tangled mess of drafts. Sofia Tolstaya undertook the laborious task of rewriting the manuscript by hand, turning his chaotic scribbles into a readable text.. She completed the full, seven-time-hand-copied manuscript before Tolstoy considered it ready for publication. This demanding work often took place late…
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Book Fact: Length Doesn’t Matter
Les Misérables contains a sentence that is widely cited as being 823 words long in English translation. This exceptionally long sentence appears in Volume 2, Book 1, Chapter 3, within a detailed description of the Battle of Waterloo. It is known for its sprawling, detailed prose, characteristic of Hugo’s writing style, and has been cited in past editions…
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Book Fact: Chess is Fun
And I don’t know how to play chess. Book fact #7 there are over 20,000 books written about chess. Love & Light, Lori
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Book Fact: Librarians have Dirty Little Secrets
I have a confession. I don’t like Harry Potter. I’m an anomaly. Most librarians I know love Harry Potter. Most of my children love Harry Potter. No offense Ms. Rowling. Book Fact # 4 J.K. Rowling is the first billionaire author, thanks to the success of the Harry Potter series. Love & Light, Lori
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Book Fact: Words Flow Vertical 
For a significant part of her life, Woolf wrote her novels while at a desk standing about three feet six inches high with a sloping top; it was so high that she had to stand to her work. Her sister painted standing up, so Virginia felt that her own pursuit might appear less difficult than…
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Book Fact: Books Stick to Fingers
Frequently stolen books according to librarians. Book Fact # 2 The most stolen book is the Bible. Listen friend, don’t steal it. I will give you one. Love & Light, Lori
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Book Fact: China Did It First
The first book printed using Johannes Gutenberg’s movable-type printing press in the West was the Gutenberg Bible, completed around 1455. Although the Gutenberg Bible is recognized as the first large book of its kind in Europe, it’s important to remember that movable type itself was invented centuries before Gutenberg in China and Korea. The Jikji,…
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New Blog Series: Book Facts
Hello friend, I’m going to start a new series today called Book Facts. This will be a series of random facts about a book, reading, writing, libraries, or any other interesting book related subject. I plan to post every day. However life happens. If I miss a day, don’t hold it against me. I will…
Brendan & Lori O'Gara 