BOOKS

"I hold that the parentheses are by far the most important parts of a non-business letter." —D.H. Lawrence

Writers used to instill good manners through strange, scary cautionary tales—and some stories were so bizarre it's a wonder the kids that read them turned out OK.

Whether it's classic fiction, children's literature, or supernatural works, bibliophiles will find something to delight in here.

Was it ghosts, time travel, or a costume party gone awry?

Escape reality—both literally and figuratively—by visiting one of these literary-inspired getaways.

They say that a dog is man's best friend, but these writers found solace—and occasional inspiration—in feline companions.

It sounds a lot nicer than "hoarding."

Herman Melville drew on his own sea adventures for his best-selling novels (but 'Moby-Dick' wasn't one of them).

It was stored under a TV for 40 years.

He's been translated into more languages than William Shakespeare.

Readers love nothing more than headless models and secret babies.

Believe it or not, we're all probably mispronouncing 'Walden' author Henry David Thoreau's name.