Mental Floss

BOOKS









A first edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby was displayed at the London International Antiquarian Book Fair in 2013.

Would a Great American Novel by any other name be as sweet? Based on the other titles F. Scott Fitzgerald considered for 'The Great Gatsby,' we’d have to say no.

Stacy Conradt
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After making the butler the culprit in her book, Rinehart would later be almost killed by one of her own servants who wanted to be promoted to her butler.

Matt Soniak






Thinkstock

Digital advancements such as the Internet, e-book readers and even your phone may have put a crimp in the sales of traditional book publishers, but they haven't been able to slow down the rare book market.

Danny Gallagher


ThinkStock

Books have a lot of admirers. Many people love books not only because of what is written in them, but because they're works of art. And people who love things like to name them. Very thoroughly. Let's look at some of the best terms in the book.

Virginia Claire McGuire


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In honor of the 75th anniversary of the book’s publication, Geisel’s widow has opened her late husband’s hat collection to the public in a traveling exhibit called “Hats Off to Dr. Seuss!”

Roma Panganiban






Summit Entertainment/Lionsgate

Based on a book of the same name, Ender’s Game—which hits theaters today—takes place in a futuristic world where Earth has already been attacked by an insect-like alien race called Formics. To prepare for a potential future attack, the best and brightest

Erin McCarthy
Getty Images

Stephen Fry is an actor, writer, poet, TV host, narrator, and for all I know a terrific cook -- the man is so prolific he has a Wikipedia page devoted simply to listing his works. Through all of his work he weaves threads of good humor, keen intellect, a

Chris Higgins

We get frustrated with Hollywood's propensity for weird sequels that seem to have little or nothing to do with the original, but it just so happens that the practice is older than filmmaking itself. Several classic stories have strange follow-ups you've n

M Asher Cantrell

It’s almost like learning the truth about Santa Claus: Once you know, it’s so obvious, but you're still a little heartbroken when you discover that your favorite author didn’t really pen most of the work with his or her name on the cover. Take comfort, t

Stacy Conradt