"With sumptuous, visually stimulating spreads, this book delivers on its promise– to unearth strange stories, bizarre facts, or unexpected details about the books on our shelves. Good for curious readers, whether they want to delve into authors and books they love, feel competent faking knowledge about books everyone else seems to have read, or just dip into and out of literary worlds" – Library Journal Readers rejoice! From Mental Floss, an online destination for more than a billion curious minds since its founding in 2001, comes the ultimate book for lovers of literature. From Americanah to War and Peace, from Chinua Achebe and Jane Austen to Jesmyn Ward and George R.R. Martin, learn surprising facts about the world’s most famous novels and novelists. The Curious Reader will delight bookworms everywhere. This literary compendium from Mental Floss reveals fascinating facts about the world’s most famous authors and their literary works. Readers will learn about George Orwell’s near-death experience during the writing of 1984; meet the real man who may have inspired Pride and Prejudice’s Mr. Darcy; discover which famous author kept her husband’s heart after he passed away; and learn about the influence of psychedelics on Dune. The Curious Reader also contains the most-loved book-related articles from 20 years of Mental Floss, including “Cat-Loving Writers,” “Famous Authors’ Unfinished Manuscripts,” “Literary Characters Based on Real People,” and “Books You Didn’t Know Were Self-Published.” This literary miscellany is certain to inspire book lovers, aspiring writers, students, and teachers alike to discover a diverse selection of curated literary works—leading to an expansion of their library!

Movie lovers rejoice! Learn amazing facts and behind-the-scenes stories about the making of some of the best-loved films of the past 50 years. Cinephiles rejoice! From Mental Floss, an online destination for more than a billion curious minds since its founding in 2001, comes the ultimate book for movie lovers. The Curious Movie Buff is filled with fascinating facts and behind-the-scenes insights about the making of your favorite movies from the last 50 years. Every film fan will find something to love, with the team at Mental Floss profiling more than 60 films of the past half-century, from well-known blockbusters to critical favorites and cult classics. The highlighted titles span across various decades and genres and include iconic franchises like Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings, Oscar-winning classics like The Godfather and Titanic, rip-roaring comedies from Blazing Saddles and The Big Lebowski, indie hits like Reservoir Dogs and Paranormal Activity, and superhero favorites such as Superman and The Dark Knight. Throughout are quirky sidebars from the Mental Floss archives, such “Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie Locations You Can Visit IRL,” “Remakes That Are Better than the Original Movie,” The 25 Best Movie Endings of All Time,” “Summer ‘Blockbusters’ That Completely Tanked at the Box Office,” and “The Best Movie Trailers Ever.” TRIVIA ABOUT MORE THAN 60 MOVIES: Get the inside scoop, fascinating facts, and behind-the-scenes trivia on the greatest movies from the past 50 years, from serious dramas such as The Godfather to seriously funny comedies like The Big Lebowski FASCINATING AND INFORMATIVE LISTS: Learn about movie locations you can visit, what movies have the best endings, and which movies scraped the bottom of the barrel with Mental Floss’s info-packed lists SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE: Whether you’re in the mood for a classic, jonesing for a good Western, wondering what sci-fi films you’ve missed, or just want to discover a new movie, the team at Mental Floss will steer you in the right direction THE PERFECT GIFT FOR MOVIE FANS: Mental Floss: The Curious Movie Buff is the ideal gift for the film enthusiasts in your life

For ten years, the knowledge seekers at mental_floss have been hunting and trapping the world’s rarest facts, locking them into captivating lists for the world to admire. Thanks to their tireless efforts, Mental Floss: The Book is packed with a decade’s worth of the smartest, quirkiest stories around, including: Five Presidential Fashion Flubs Seven Shameless Abuses of Diplomatic Immunity Five Units of Measurement Weirder Than the Metric System Four Toys That Have Gone to War for America Seven Reasons Mister Rogers Was the Best Neighbor Ever Five Things Your Body Can Do After You Die Six of Baseball’s Strangest Trades Four Foods People Actually Die For Seven Things Walmart Has Banned Four TV Shows That Changed the Course of History Ten “Q” Words That Aren’t “Q-U” Words Four Horrifying Parasites to Keep You Awake at Night Eight Fake Archaeological Finds Five Articles of Clothing That Caused Riots Four Memorable Moments in Cross-Dressing History Five Doomsdays We’ve Already Survived And 124 Other Extraordinary Lists!

"From Mental Floss, the premier online destination for curious minds, comes a deep dive into the greatest television shows from the last 20 years. Filled with little-known facts and lists of must-see shows."--Provided by publisher.

History is . . . (a) more or less bunk. (b) a nightmare from which I am trying to awaken. (c) as thoroughly infected with lies as a street whore with syphilis. Match your answers: (1) Stephen Daedalus of James Joyce's Ulysses (2) Henry Ford (3) Arthur Schopenhauer It turns out that answer need not be bunk, nightmarish, or diseased. In the hands of mental_floss, history's most interesting bits have been handpicked and roasted to perfection. Packed with little-known stories and outrageous—but accurate—facts, you'll laugh yourself smarter on this joyride through 60,000 years of human civilization. Remember: just because it's true, doesn't mean it's boring!

Impress your friends, family, and coworkers with fascinating facts about favorite TV shows and test your own TV trivia knowledge with dozens of challenging and entertaining quizzes. Did you know... Succession relies on “wealth consultants” to ensure authenticity on how the richest of the rich live? A fan of The Office, after recalling the episode where Steve Carell’s character arranges a (disastrous) CPR training session, successfully performed CPR on an unconscious stranger? Fraggle Rock was the first American TV series broadcast in Russia? Learn the stories behind these obscure TV tidbits and much more! With fun trivia, challenging quizzes, and log pages for your own lists, Mental Floss: The Curious Viewer Ultimate Quiz and Trivia Book will become as indispensable for your next binge-watch as your remote control. DOZENS OF FUN AND CHALLENGING QUIZZES: Test your TV knowledge with quizzes like "Two Degrees Of" your favorite celebrities, and "Match the Quote to the Simpsons Character" TRIVIA ABOUT MORE THAN 100 TV SHOWS: Get the inside scoop, fascinating facts, and mind-boggling trivia on the greatest shows from the past 20 years, from serious dramas such as Law and Order to seriously funny comedies like Ted Lasso MAKE IT YOUR OWN: Dozens of pages with fill-in lists, such as "Shows I Want to Binge" and "My Favorite TV Quotes" to "Shows I Started but Never Finished" and "My Favorite Shows of All Time."

Audrey gave up on romance before meeting aspiring filmmaker Harry at the cinema where they work, but soon they are deeply in love--and not like it is portrayed in movies.