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Literary Trivia: Over 300 Curious Lists for Bookworms
Everything anyone could possibly wonder about famous books and writers is in this collection of more than 300 lists—authors who wrote standing up, famous last words, writers who couldn’t spell, unusual work habits, sexual peccadilloes, unintended double entendres in the classics, bad reviews of future classics, and even writers who were spies. Find out about the weird and wonderful behavior of all these wordsmiths such as the poet who, while at Trinity College, Cambridge, kept a bear in his rooms because there was a rule against keeping dogs or cats; or the poet who tied a cat to a kite during a thunderstorm in the hope of seeing it electrocuted. The fascinating facts found within will inspire bibliophiles to read—or reread—some of those classics!
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
About the author
Aubrey Malone
115 books33 followersBorn in the west of Ireland, Aubrey Malone was educated at University College, Dublin, graduating with a BA in English and philosophy. He did an M.A. in English, majoring in the literary style of Ernest Hemingway. He went on to write a biography of Hemingway for Robson Books in 1999. For ten years he was a teacher, before becoming a freelance journalist with various newspapers and magazines. He has written over fifty books, including the best-selling The Cynic's Dictionary (Prion). He mainly works in the non-fiction area but he has published two novels and a few collections of poetry and short stories. He has been writing professionally about the cinema since 1973.
His first book, Hollyweird (Michael O’Mara, 1994), focused on the eccentricities of film stars. He followed that up with two books on movies made in Ireland, Michael Collins and Ryan’s Daughter (GLI, both 1996). In 1997 he wrote The Rise and Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley (Leopold Publishing). Three years later he wrote I Was a Fugitive from a Hollywood Film Factory, subsequently reissued as Hollywood Trivia (Prion, 2004).
In 2011 he wrote Censoring Hollywood (McFarland), a book about the history of film censorship. The Defiant One, a biography of Tony Curtis (also McFarland) followed in 2013. In the same year he wrote Maureen O’Hara: A Biography for the University of Kentucky Press. McFarland also published Hollywood’s Second Sex, Malone’s history of the mistreatment of women in movies from 1900 to 1999, in 2016. ABC-CLIO published his study of spirituality in films, Sacred Profanity.
Writing Under the Influence, a study of the relationship between alcohol and literature for thirteen American authors, was published by McFarland in 2017. In 2018 he published a book about people who unfairly failed to win Oscars, And the Loser Is (Vernon Press). That year he also published The Elvis Diaries (One Media), a work of creative fiction based on fact. He is currently working on a biography of Sidney Lumet and an encyclopedia of LGBTQ films.
His first book, Hollyweird (Michael O’Mara, 1994), focused on the eccentricities of film stars. He followed that up with two books on movies made in Ireland, Michael Collins and Ryan’s Daughter (GLI, both 1996). In 1997 he wrote The Rise and Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley (Leopold Publishing). Three years later he wrote I Was a Fugitive from a Hollywood Film Factory, subsequently reissued as Hollywood Trivia (Prion, 2004).
In 2011 he wrote Censoring Hollywood (McFarland), a book about the history of film censorship. The Defiant One, a biography of Tony Curtis (also McFarland) followed in 2013. In the same year he wrote Maureen O’Hara: A Biography for the University of Kentucky Press. McFarland also published Hollywood’s Second Sex, Malone’s history of the mistreatment of women in movies from 1900 to 1999, in 2016. ABC-CLIO published his study of spirituality in films, Sacred Profanity.
Writing Under the Influence, a study of the relationship between alcohol and literature for thirteen American authors, was published by McFarland in 2017. In 2018 he published a book about people who unfairly failed to win Oscars, And the Loser Is (Vernon Press). That year he also published The Elvis Diaries (One Media), a work of creative fiction based on fact. He is currently working on a biography of Sidney Lumet and an encyclopedia of LGBTQ films.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 6, 2011
I saw this on the library shelf and thought it would be a fun read. It was the perfect thing to flip through while standing in line or sitting in waiting rooms. The lists were short and offered information that ranged from funny to downright strange.
While this book had some entertaining trivia, better literary trivia can be found, and it can be organized in much better ways. The author's attempts to vary the writing often felt awkward. And there were a few too many sections with cluttered one- or two-word lists. These could have been edited better so they were shorter and had more impact.
The most entertaining lists were those containing quotes and those about the many feuds and insults writers shared amongst themselves.
Interesting Tidbits:
--Agatha Christie's books made 2 billion dollars.
--Edgar Wallace wrote an average of six books a year, and once wrote an 80,000 word book in one weekend.
--Many writers including Graham Green, Daniel Defoe, Lord Byron and Alexandre Dumas worked as spies.
--Edgar Allan Poe was so devoted to his cat, Caterina, he wrote her letters while he was away. She would also sit on his shoulder when he wrote.
--A 1631 edition of the Bible was missing a "not" and read "Thou shalt commit adultery." King Charles I recalled the book and fined the publishers.
Interesting Quotes:
"There are three basic rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are." - W.. Somerset Maugham
"A good many young writers make the mistake of enclosing a stamped self-addressed envelop with their manuscript which is big enough for it to come back in. This is far too much a temptation for any editor." - Ring Lardner
"Truth may be stranger than fiction, but fiction is truer." - Frederic Raphael
"I never write 'metropolis' for seven cents because I can get the same price for 'city.' I never write 'policeman' because I can get the same money for 'cop.'" - Mark Twain
"Immature poets imitate; Mature poets steal." - T. S. Eliot
After hearing a woman she disliked remark, "I can't bear fools," Dorothy Parker responded, "Apparently your mother didn't have the same difficulty."
"Poetry is like solving a crossword puzzle in which you are also the compiler." - Don Paterson
"One always tends to overpraise a long book because one has got through it." - E. M. Forster
While this book had some entertaining trivia, better literary trivia can be found, and it can be organized in much better ways. The author's attempts to vary the writing often felt awkward. And there were a few too many sections with cluttered one- or two-word lists. These could have been edited better so they were shorter and had more impact.
The most entertaining lists were those containing quotes and those about the many feuds and insults writers shared amongst themselves.
Interesting Tidbits:
--Agatha Christie's books made 2 billion dollars.
--Edgar Wallace wrote an average of six books a year, and once wrote an 80,000 word book in one weekend.
--Many writers including Graham Green, Daniel Defoe, Lord Byron and Alexandre Dumas worked as spies.
--Edgar Allan Poe was so devoted to his cat, Caterina, he wrote her letters while he was away. She would also sit on his shoulder when he wrote.
--A 1631 edition of the Bible was missing a "not" and read "Thou shalt commit adultery." King Charles I recalled the book and fined the publishers.
Interesting Quotes:
"There are three basic rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are." - W.. Somerset Maugham
"A good many young writers make the mistake of enclosing a stamped self-addressed envelop with their manuscript which is big enough for it to come back in. This is far too much a temptation for any editor." - Ring Lardner
"Truth may be stranger than fiction, but fiction is truer." - Frederic Raphael
"I never write 'metropolis' for seven cents because I can get the same price for 'city.' I never write 'policeman' because I can get the same money for 'cop.'" - Mark Twain
"Immature poets imitate; Mature poets steal." - T. S. Eliot
After hearing a woman she disliked remark, "I can't bear fools," Dorothy Parker responded, "Apparently your mother didn't have the same difficulty."
"Poetry is like solving a crossword puzzle in which you are also the compiler." - Don Paterson
"One always tends to overpraise a long book because one has got through it." - E. M. Forster
March 20, 2023
A fascinating collection literary trivia.
As another reader reported it is a little dated.
As another reader reported it is a little dated.
October 29, 2014
Good fun for the most part. Unfortunately though I had to take all of it with a grain of salt, since this guy doesn't seem terribly given to rigorous research (so I don't particularly trust his results).
January 24, 2014
I love trivia, and I love reading so this book is just the perfect combination for me. Enjoyed it from start to finish
April 1, 2014
I wish that this were more current...most of the authors mentioned & books listed are those that we all "should" read, but not many people do any more.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews