From Homer to Harry Potter, from Chaucer to Charlotte's Web, a compelling book of quizzes on history's most influential literary works and writers Did a whale named "Mocha Dick" inspire Melville's masterpiece? Who was the first poet to speak at a presidential inauguration? Which French-speaking high school football star shook up the literary world? Do you freeze when someone mentions Faulkner? When the conversation turns to the Odyssey, do you want...

"The Madman's Library reveals the fascinating stories behind some of the strangest and most beautiful books ever created in a highly illustrated tour through an eccentric "library" of literary curiosities and wonders"-- Brooke-Hitching has hunted down the oddest books and manuscripts ever written, uncovering the intriguing stories behind their creation. From the Qur'an written in the blood of Saddam Hussein, to the gorgeously decorated fifteenth-century...

"This book is a farrago of literary trivia, a treasure trove of obscure and irresistible facts, definitions, lists, and quotations that touch on every aspect of books, including their authors, publishers, printers, collectors, critics, pundits, readers, and enemies. Under headings that explore the entire history of bibliomania from "The Invention of Paper" to "Some Horror Writer's Official Web Sites, " the entries in Bibliotopia provide the insatiably...

Contains approximately two hundred lists that provide trivia about literature, books, genres, poetry, drama, themes, literary periods, endings, and other related topics.