“It’s only those who do nothing that make no mistakes, I suppose.” — Joseph Conrad (1857-1924), British-Polish novelist. Read more great quotes. Read more fun facts about literature.
The Only Certain Way to Avoid Making Mistakes
A Tale of Two Boys and Their Fathers’ Creations That Ruined Their Lives
Chris and Denny might as well have been brothers. They had so much in common — particularly their conflict with their fathers — that it almost looks as if they had the […]
Oscar Wilde’s Final Battle With Wallpaper
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was famous for his humorous, ironic observations. This quality stayed with him right up to the end. The final words attributed to the Irishman, as he lay on his […]
It Took a Century, But The Dublin Pub Brain Teaser Has Been Solved
James Joyce’s novel Ulysses first appeared as a serial from March 1918 to December 1920. The primary character, Leopold Bloom, makes a seemingly-offhanded remark that spun into one of history’s most intriguing brain […]
Mark Twain’s Fashion Tips
“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” — Mark Twain Read more Mark Twain fun facts and funny quotes. Learn about fun and interesting customs.
Efficiency Through Ignorance
“Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts.” — E.B. White Read more fun facts about authors. Read more great quotations.
Skeptical Sagittarians
“I don’t believe in astrology; I’m a Sagittarius and we’re skeptical.” — Arthur C. Clarke Read more funny quotes. Read Clarke’s Laws and other eponymous laws.
What Is Missing From This Famous Literary Work?
When Ernest Vincent Wright published his novel Gadsby in 1939, it was an immediate sensation. The plot centers around the life of a man who is committed to transforming his community through […]
A Whale of a Lot of Fun Facts about Whales
Herman Melville’s classic Moby Dick was published in 1851. The notorious white whale that compelled Captain Ahab to dedicate his life to finding it was famously described by Melville as being the […]
20 Quirks and Strange Habits — The Weird Side of Famous Writers
Readers of this site will not be surprised that famous writers have their own niche in the realm of eccentricity. Whether it be their unusual jobs, their acerbic wit, or creepy predictions, […]
Fellow Authors Are the Hardest to Please
It would be an understatement to say that Mark Twain was not a fan of Jane Austen. “She makes me detest all her people, without reserve. Is that her intention? It is […]
Don’t Be a Writer If You Can’t Handle Rejection Letters
“Curse the blasted, jelly-boned swines, the slimy, the belly-wriggling invertebrates, the miserable soddingrotters, the flaming sods, the sniveling, dribbling, dithering, palsied, pulse-less lot that make up England today. They’ve got white of […]
Some Light Reading
The world record for the longest novel ever published goes to A la recherche du temps perdu by Marcel Proust. It was published in 13 volumes beginning in 1912. With an estimated […]
Rags to Riches … and Back to Rags
Horatio Alger, Jr. (1832 – 1899) was a prolific 19th-century American author, best known for his many novels about impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of middle-class security […]
He’s Just the Type Who Would Type
Mark Twain was the first significant author to submit a typewritten manuscript to a publisher. By his own accounts, Mark Twain admitted that he did not actually do the typing himself, […]
