Mental Floss

BOOKS

Virtually every artist dreams of making an impact with their work, and writers are no different—but in some cases, authors don’t live to see their works become classics.

Anastasia Rose Hyden
Stephen King is one of the biggest names in publishing.

Stephen King once opened the doors to his Bangor, Maine, home to Halloween trick-or-treaters in the 1980s. More than 1000 people showed up.

Jake Rossen














Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.

You’re probably familiar with Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel, but many are unfamiliar with the origins of the popular versions of these stories. Here's what you need to know about brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm and their tales.

Ali Parr


Portrait of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley.

Between writing 'Frankenstein' and carrying around her dead husband's heart, Mary Shelley earned her title as the original goth girl.

Michele Debczak


A surprising amount of lost books have found their way into flames—sometimes courtesy of the authors themselves.

Every so often the literary world is rocked by the discovery of a work that was thought to be lost forever—but there are many books that remain lost to this day, much to the sadness of readers everywhere.

Lorna Wallace






One of Shakespeare's First Folios (not this one) was stolen from a cathedral in England in 1998.

A number of valuable, important, or rare manuscripts have been swiped from authors or the individuals or institutions tasked with taking care of them. Here’s a sampling of them.

Kirstin Fawcett