Mental Floss

BOOKS

Ralph Keating via Flickr // CC BY-NC 2.0

The author of 'The Giving Tree' and 'Where the Sidewalk Ends' was friends with Hugh Hefner and wrote some of his books while staying at the Playboy Mansion.

Emily Petsko






Stephen Ritchie, Flickr // CC BY-NC 2.0

Nancy Drew looks pretty good for a gal who's been around for nearly 90 years. And judging by the release of this week's 'Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase' movie, the amateur sleuth shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon

Stacy Conradt


Amazon

In the nearly 40 years since its publication, 'Pet Sematary' has become one of Stephen King’s most beloved books. But he originally considered the novel so scary that he wanted to hide it away from the world.

Matthew Jackson

Traer Scott's Radiant presents portraits of farm animals—from chickens and cows to pigs and goats and beyond—that live up to its title.

Colin Ainsworth


Scholastic

In 1986, Ann M. Martin published the first 'The Baby-Sitters Club' book. Now, more than 30 years later, Netflix is bringing Kristy, Claudia, and all the rest of the club back to the small screen.

Erin McCarthy


Al Ravenna, Library of Congress New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection // Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

Theodor Seuss Geisel—who you probably know better by his pen name, Doctor Seuss—came into the world on March 2, 1904. In the more than 100 years since, he has changed it for the better for readers all over the planet.

Mark Mancini












HarperCollins

Amazon's recent series starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen isn't the first time Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s 'Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch' has been adapted. Or attempted.

Rebecca Pahle
By Carl Van Vechten // Library of Congress // Public Domain // Wikimedia Commons

“I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go,” is just one of Langston Hughes's most memorable quotes.

Jennifer M Wood