Anything that has been around as long as storybooks is bound to have a few skeletons in its closet. These are just a few I managed to ferret out.
1. Hugh Lofting, author of Dr. Doolittle, thought books should have a "Senile" category to complement the "Juvenile" section.
Me neither, Steve!
2. The first recorded person to use the word "book" was Alfred the Great.
Not bad, Alfred! And for those who are curious, this puts the first use of the word sometime between 871 AD to 899 AD.
3. The Japanese word tsundoku means: buying a load of books and then not getting round to reading them.
Shorthand for that: TBR pile.
4. The first novel written on a typewriter is said to be Mark Twain's Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Whodathunk?
5. People in India are the world's biggest readers, spending an average of 10.7 hours a week reading.
Impressive!
6. The smallest book in the Welsh National Library is Old King Cole. It measures 1mm x 1mm and the pages can only be turned with a needle.
Can you imagine?
7. Author James Frazer had to move out of his room at Great Court, London because the floor was threatening to give way under the weight of his books.
I'm feeling his pain!
8. In 2007, Stephen King was mistaken for a vandal when he started signing books during an unannounced visit to a bookshop in Australia.
Oops!
9. A bibliophagist is a devourer of books.
That word even has my last name "Gist" in it. So busted!
10. Bibliosmia is the enjoyment of the smell of old books.
That gives "burying your nose in a book" a whole new meaning!
Which fact surprised you most? Leave a comment here, on my Facebook page or on Twitter @DeeanneGist!
International bestselling author, Deeanne Gist IWantHerBook.com
In Need of a Book?
Deeanne's TIFFANY GIRL was rated as a *MUST READ* by USA Today!
