Literature

Orson Welles was just 23 when he read a revised script of the book 'War of the Worlds' and had much of the United States believing that aliens were invading.

By Sam Abramson & Sarah Gleim

For such a simple nursery rhyme, the story behind who wrote it sure is complicated. Even Henry Ford got involved.

By Dave Roos

She's over 90, but doesn't look a day over 18. And her fans include Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush and Sonia Sotomayor. We're cluing you in on that famous girl detective Nancy Drew.

By Kathryn Whitbourne

You've probably seen the cute little houses on posts in people's yards. They're Little Free Library boxes and they're found in all 50 states and in 88 countries.

By Stell Simonton

Judy Blume's groundbreaking young adult novel is finally headed for the big screen more than 50 years after it was first published. Why does the book still resonate with so many women?

By Alia Hoyt

Pooh and his band of friends in the Hundred Acre Wood remain beloved many decades after they were originally created. How much do you know about the books, animated shorts and the series in general?

By Alia Hoyt

Today, when we think of a "pox," we think of smallpox. But in Shakespeare's time, the word referred to a dreaded sexually transmitted disease.

By Alia Hoyt

HowStuffWorks talks to three modern-day "Megs" to find out how they were inspired by the character's bravery, ambition and intelligence to pursue real-life scientific success.

By Alia Hoyt

'Domestic Medicine' was the most popular health guide for over 100 years. Which advice still holds up today and which is plain dangerous?

By Alia Hoyt

Before the days of Esquire and GQ, the famous poet wrote about men's health and grooming in newspaper columns. How does his advice stack up today?

By Dave Roos

It's been more than 200 years since her birth and we're still learning new things about this famous novelist.

By Kathryn Whitbourne

Although this writer and poet wrote seven volumes of autobiography, there are still some things you may be surprised to learn.

By Kathryn Whitbourne

From Margaret Wise Brown to Beatrix Potter, some children's authors have reputations for disliking kids. Are the rumors true?

By Kate Kershner

Stephen King, the Master of Horror, is a prolific writer who has sold more than 350 million books worldwide, seen most of his works turned into movies and television programs, and won many prestigious awards, such as the O. Henry short story prize and the National Medal of Arts for his contributions to literature. But [...] The post 10 Things You Might Not Know About Stephen King appeared first on Goliath.

By Jack Sackman

The wizarding novels promote tolerance and oppose authoritarianism. What does that mean for how Potter fans view the Republican presidential candidate?

By Christopher Hassiotis

The world is full of people and things that influence us on a day to day basis. In fact, some of the most influential and interesting people in the world are fictional and have never walked the Earth. But even though they aren't real, they've certainly helped shape our lives and change society over the [...] The post The 10 Most Influential Fictional Characters appeared first on Goliath.

By Kale Havervold

We're all told as children that reading opens our horizons and helps us learn, but does "Harry Potter" expand young minds more than your average kids' book?

By Debra Ronca

Despite the significant progress made in the representations of women in writing and publishing literature, there's still plenty of work to be done when it comes to popularizing and analyzing texts written by women. With that in mind, we here at Goliath have collected 10 novels that were written by women which you should read [...] The post 10 Classic Novels Written By Women That You Need to Read appeared first on Goliath.

By Jim Halden

Since the 1600s, performances of "Macbeth" have been plagued by accidents and mysterious mishaps. Is it all because Shakespeare used actual witches' curses in the play?

By Laurie L. Dove

It's easy to find out how much money a movie made on its opening weekend. But when it comes to books, sales numbers can be hard to pin down. That's where we come in.

By Laurie L. Dove

The 20 bestselling children's books come chock full of all kinds of wonderful characters -- from bunnies and puppies to boy wizards and cats with crazy hats. Know a few, do you?

By John Perritano

Chances are you've probably read a poem or two in school, had to memorize a poem at some point, or maybe even wrote a poem yourself. But what exactly is poetry?

By Caitlin Uttley

Three things make books valuable: supply, demand and condition. Most collectors seek out these works because of their associations with famous authors and historical events. Some want them because they're really, really old.

By Ed Grabianowski

Everyone dreams of finding that rare first edition in Grandma's attic, but how would you know such a treasure if you found one? Book appraising takes years to master, but we've laid out the basics here.

By Dave Roos

The answer to this question may depend on how you define the word "book."

By Eric Baxter