Originally posted on History of Sorts:
For decades I have been enjoying his stories from ‘Charlie and the chocolate factory’ and ‘BfG’ to the creepy ‘Tales of the Unexpected’ stories. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpuR1WjvDck In…
A sonnet is a one-stanza, 14-line poem, written in iambic pentameter. William Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, all of which are required reading for students of great literature. Shakespeare may be the most […]
Are you looking for a good book for this weekend? Let us tell you about one that will really hold your attention. It’s a little hard to describe the overall plot, but […]
When it comes to upper body strength, athletic ability, and eyesight, this writer was born in the shallow end of the gene pool. Since scrawny, awkward kids with thick glasses are prime […]
One of the most famous opening passages of any novel comes from a book that is hardly recognized today. George Bulwer-Lytton introduced the world to Paul Clifford in 1830 with the words, […]
Agatha Christie’s name is synonymous with mysteries. The author of such classics as Murder on the Orient Express, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, and Death on the Nile, her novels have sold […]
Those of us who love the English language have to admit to a bit of schizophrenia about the love affair. On the one hand, English is an utterly-flexible and ever-changing language, allowing […]
Abraham Lincoln attempted many things in his life. He was a railsplitter, boatman, store clerk, soldier, surveyor, postmaster, lawyer, legislator, and President. Along the way, he tried his hand as an inventor, […]
Mark Twain has a well-deserved reputation for not being intimidated by those in high authority. His self-assurance and disregard for the opinion of others allowed him to rub elbows with the most […]
Mark Twain proclaimed himself to be politically neutral. Using the terminology of the day, he was a “Mugwump.” This allowed him a convenient excuse when people asked him to use his celebrity […]
Frances and Stephen were unlikely friends. For one thing, she was seventeen years his senior. Beyond the obvious difference in their ages, the two could not have been more different.
“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua….” No, this isn’t the beginning of some weird, cultish chant. The Lorem ipsum […]
Herman Melville’s novel about an obsessive hunt for an elusive whale is Moby Dick. Or is it Moby-Dick? The answer to that question drives obsessive scholars of literature and seems to be […]
What do literary giants do when they aren’t writing history’s greatest books? There’s no better way to stave off a case of writer’s block than to play a rousing game of cricket. […]
In her book Little Town on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder records her mother giving some words of advice: “If Wisdom’s ways you wisely seek, five things observe with care. To whom […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 