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Dolores Umbridge From Harry Potter Was Based on a Real Person
Yes, one of the Wizarding World's most evil characters is all real.
BOOKS
Game of Thrones Almost Featured a Love Triangle Between Arya Stark, Jon Snow, and Tyrion Lannister
According to George R.R. Martin's original outline, the two men's "passion" for Arya would ultimately "lead to a deadly rivalry between Tyrion and Jon Snow."
9 Handy Facts About the History of Handwriting
Even handwriting scholars can't read all scripts.
Two Harry Potter Books Worth Nearly $4000 Showed Up on Antiques Roadshow
First-edition Harry Potter books are extremely valuable—even more so if their pages contain a handwritten note from JK Rowling herself.
J.K. Rowling Almost Killed Off Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter Series
Her reason? "Sheer spite."
Can You Tell an Author’s Identity By Looking at Punctuation Alone? A Study Just Found Out.
For decades, linguists have been able to use the quirks of written texts to pinpoint the author. The process, called stylometric analysis or stylometry, has dozens of legal and academic applications.
5 Facts About Edgar Allan Poe
You can quote 'The Raven.' But how well do you know Edgar Allan Poe's quirky sense of humor and code-cracking abilities?
10 Fascinating Facts About the Thesaurus for National Thesaurus Day
Writers often turn to a thesaurus to diversify their vocabulary and add nuance to their prose. But looking up synonyms and antonyms in a thesaurus can help anyone—writer or not—find the most vivid, incisive words to communicate thoughts and ideas.
Book Sales Are Soaring—And Not Just the Digital Kind
According to Publishers Weekly, print sales rose by almost 2 percent in 2017, and continued to rise in 2018, mostly due to the strength of adult nonfiction sales.
The Real Reason Harry Potter Named His Son After Severus Snape
Saving a person's life carries some serious weight. Even in the Wizarding World.
Why is Winnie the Pooh Called a Pooh?
Winnie is a bear. So why do we call him a Pooh?
Stephen King Just Stopped a Maine Newspaper From Cutting Its Freelance Book Reviews
And he helped local writers at the same time.
A New Theory Has Emerged About Why Harry Potter's Scar is Shaped Like a Lightning Bolt
More than 20 years after the first book published, Wizarding World fans are still finding new things to discover.
7 Surprising Facts About The Giving Tree
There are various interpretations of the relationship at the center of the Shel Silverstein classic—not all of them positive.
Fact-Checking Pottermore's Claim That Witches and Wizards Used Spells to 'Vanish' Their Waste Before Modern Plumbing
It's gross, but does it reflect the reality of the 18th century? We investigate.
50 Things Turning 50 in 2019
From the first manned Moon landing to Monty Python, here are 50 things marking a half-century on this planet (and beyond).
How Much It Would Cost to Attend Hogwarts, According to JK Rowling
All those extravagant Great Hall meals can't come cheap.
Ralph Fiennes Went Off Script as Voldemort for One Memorable Harry Potter Moment
Some fans thought it was terrifying. Others thought it was hilarious.
How to Download Thousands of Classic Books and Movies That Just Entered the Public Domain
Classic titles by Lewis Carroll, Agatha Christie, Winston Churchill, and Charlie Chaplin are now the public's property.
Zora Neale Hurston, Genius of the Harlem Renaissance
Despite being a star in her day, writer Zora Neale Hurston—who is best known for her novel 'Their Eyes Were Watching God'—was almost forgotten.
10 Delicious Recipes from Books, Movies, and TV Shows
Enjoy these real-life recipes for once-fictional delicacies featured in some of your favorite books, movies, and TV shows.
