BOOKED & BEWILDERED

The first bestseller list was created to make books compete like athletes.

✗ FAKE
Bestseller lists started in the early 20th century, such as one by the magazine The Bookman in 1895 and the New York Times list in 1931. They report sales to show which books are popular.

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The first villain was invented because someone needed someone else to blame. Humanity’s favorite hobby.George Orwell’s real name was Eric Arthur Blair — pen names: the writer’s mask.The first comedy play was written to prove humans can be ridiculous on purpose.The first “unreliable narrator” was invented because honesty is hard and drama sells.‘Moby-Dick’ was a commercial failure during Herman Melville’s life — history’s slowest “told you so.”Shakespeare’s plays have been translated into over 100 languages — the Bard goes global.See all Booked & Bewildered facts →

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