LITERATURE

The American Foods Mark Twain Craved While Traveling Abroad

The long list includes bacon, peach cobbler, and possum.

Oscar Wilde’s Prison Cell Opens to the Public for the First Time

The prison that detained him is now hosting a tribute to the author.

Irish Elementary School Displays Forgotten Roald Dahl Poem

The author wrote the verses for the Primate Dixon Primary School in 1988.

Fellowship Lets Cartoonists Live in J.D. Salinger's Former Home

The house is located in rural New Hampshire—and it can be yours for one month.

How Many Books Have Ever Been Published?

When Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1440, he couldn’t have foreseen how his humble creation would eventually lead to a global industry churning out millions of books each year.

Unpublished F. Scott Fitzgerald Stories to be Released in April 2017

The collection is called "I'd Die For You."

Rebecca O'Connell // Wikimedia (Lovecraft), iStock (background)

7 Obsessions That Influenced H. P. Lovecraft’s Work

Lovecraft’s weird fiction was shaped by his life events and many obsessions, from astronomy to shellfish.

16 Clever Quips from Ogden Nash

Happy birthday to poet Ogden Nash, known for his ability to turn a witty verse on everything from politics to celery.

Hunter S. Thompson’s Widow Returned the Antlers He Stole From Hemingway

Anita Thompson returned the trophy on his behalf.

Aldous Huxley taught another famous novelist whose works had a dystopian bent.

10 Fascinating Facts about Aldous Huxley

Best known for his 1932 novel 'Brave New World,' Aldous Huxley later wrote about his experimentation with psychedelic drugs. But there’s a lot more to Huxley’s life than dystopian novels.

Secret Beatrix Potter Drawings Found Hidden in Books at Melford Hall

An exhibition of the four rare drawings will open in England this month.

9 Harry Potter Collector's Items That Sold for Small Fortunes

Number nine auctioned for nearly $4 million.

Watch a Gutenberg Printing Press in Action

In a video, the Crandall Printing Museum demonstrates how the world's only functional Gutenberg printing press actually operated.

15 Writers Who Were Also Medical Doctors

Doctors are notorious for their illegible writing (ask any pharmacist), but these medicos gained more fame for their readable writing than for their skill with a scalpel.

NASA, ESA, and AURA CalTech // Public Domain

Scientists Use Star Maps to Date Sappho’s 'Midnight Poem'

The fragment makes mention of the time of night as well as the position of the Moon and the Pleiades.

Stephen King's The Shining Adapted Into a Opera

The classic novel's 600 pages were condensed into a terrifying, two-hour performance.

Daderot, Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Archaeologists Plan to Restore Emily Dickinson's Gardens

The famous poet had a green thumb.

5 Books That Will (Probably) Never Be Printed Again

Unless you're willing to spend hundreds of dollars at used bookstores, these titles won't be part of your library anytime soon.

38 Facts About Shakespeare’s 38 Plays

William Shakespeare died 400 years ago this month.

A New Social Network Promises to Help You Connect With Other Book Lovers

Litsy is a social community app that's been described as "Goodreads meets Instagram."

Enter a Competition to Spend a Night in Hamlet's Castle

Royal ghosts and revenge plots not included.

Rare Copy of Shakespeare's First Folio Discovered in Scottish House

Previous copies have sold for close to $5 million.

Text Like Shakespeare With a Predictive Text Keyboard App

ShakeSpeak will fill in the Bard's quotes for you, so you can sound super literary.

Crests via Warner Bros Studio Tour London

8 Languages With Different Names for the Hogwarts Houses

The Hogwarts houses in Harry Potter stay pretty much the same in most of translations of the books—but some languages go a different way.

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