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How Beatrix Potter Pioneered the Art of Merchandising
The author of 23 pint-sized titles, including 'The Tale of Peter Rabbit,' perfected the character licensing template decades before 'Star Wars' or Marvel.
LITERATURE
10 Things You Might Not Know About Stephen King’s It
If you only have a passing familiarity with the original Stephen King novel, you might think it’s simply about a killer clown. But there’s far more to the sprawling saga of The Losers' Club.
8 Things Mark Twain Didn't Really Say
The man who provided us with some of the best quips ever is also one of the most misquoted men of all time.
Tennessee School Bans Harry Potter Books Because the Spells Could ‘Conjure Evil Spirits’
The Harry Potter series frequently tops lists of banned books, but not always for such a literal reason.
A First Edition of Darwin's On the Origin of Species Could Sell for $180,000
The 1859 work prompted a new era of thinking about nature and humanity. A first edition will likely wind up in the hands of a collector who has evolved to have very deep pockets.
11 Fascinating Facts About Mark Twain
Mark Twain is widely considered the author of the first great American novel—'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'—but his rollicking tales aren’t the only legacy he left behind.
10 Things You Might Not Know About Dorothy Parker
As a founding member of the Algonquin Round Table, Dorothy Parker was renowned for her scathing wit.
15 Fascinating Facts About Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter was a bestselling author, a world-famous illustrator, and a talented naturalist ... but she still disappointed her mom.
No, Ernest Hemingway Didn’t Write That Six-Word ‘Baby Shoes’ Story
The six-word story "For Sale, Baby Shoes, Never Worn" is one of the best-known works attributed to Ernest Hemingway—but he probably didn't write it.
9 Facts About The Tale of Peter Rabbit
That naughty bunny who got caught sneaking into Mr. McGregor’s garden was based on Beatrix Potter's own pet rabbit.
Millions More Public Domain Books Could Be Online Soon—Here's How to Access Them
Roughly 80 percent of books published in the U.S. between 1923 to 1964 never extended their copyrights. Now many of them are available to download for free.
The Classic Novel That Is Most Often Abandoned By Readers
Happy Book Lovers Day! Let's have a moment of silence for those books that never get finished (and another for the stack on your shelf that you haven’t even started).
12 Fascinating Facts About Barnes & Noble
In a digital era, the company hopes that being sold to a private investor and getting store facelifts will make for a happy ending.
Nine Lost Proust Stories and Novellas Will Be Published for the First Time This Fall
Marcel Proust wasn’t known for brevity, but for some reason he decided to cut these rather risqué pages from his first book.
Toni Morrison, Groundbreaking Author and Nobel Laureate, Dies at 88
Toni Morrison's death was confirmed by her publisher. The acclaimed author was known for her award-winning novels 'Beloved,' 'Song of Solomon,' 'The Bluest Eye,' and other works.
7 Facts About Thomas Lefroy, the Real-Life Inspiration for Pride and Prejudice’s Mr. Darcy
Though Jane Austen never admitted it herself, for centuries scholars have speculated that Irishman Thomas Lefroy was the inspiration for Mr. Darcy.
10 Things You Might Not Know About Walden
Henry David Thoreau’s account of his time in the woods is much more than just fodder for motivational posters—it’s a work of transcendentalist philosophy that shaped how people see the natural world today.
The Words Pride and Prejudice Had Slightly Different Meanings in Jane Austen’s Time
If Jane Austen had written 'Pride and Prejudice' today, she might have titled it 'Being Arrogant and Jumping to Conclusions' instead.
10 Facts About Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl
In 1947, the seemingly everyday, innocent thoughts of a teen girl were published. But they weren’t so everyday: they were the thoughts of Anne Frank.
A Rediscovered John Steinbeck Story About a Chef and His Cat Has Been Published in English for the First Time
The ‘Ratatouille’-esque story is about a French chef who seeks a Michelin star with the help of his taste-testing cat Apollo.
8 Surprising Facts About Jane Austen
More than 200 years after her death, English novelist Jane Austen continues to be celebrated for her sharp, biting prose on love's various entanglements.
See What Pride and Prejudice's Mr. Darcy Really Looks Like
Anyone who has ever read Jane Austen’s 'Pride and Prejudice' has surely conjured up their own idea of what Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy would look like in real life. But a couple of academics and one illustrator are here to dash your dreams.
10 Surprising Facts About Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway was a titan of 20th-century literature. (He was also allegedly a KGB spy, but he wasn't very good at it.)
8 Gonzo Facts About Hunter S. Thompson
Like any real-life legend, there are many myths surrounding the life and work of Hunter S. Thompson. But in Thompson’s case, most of those stories—particularly the more outlandish ones—are absolutely true.