Book Sniffing & Other Delights

Since this blog has literary pretensions, here’s some facts culled from a list at factinate.com, edited by yours truly:
The word “bookworm” dates to 1580, used by Ben Johnson in his satirical play Cynthia’s Revels, or The Fountain of Self-Love.
“Bibliosmia” is the act of smelling a book.
Peter Rabbit was rejected six times by publishers. Beatrix Potter printed 250 copies herself and distributed them to family and friends. When those sold out, she printed 200 more. In 1902 it was finally published the traditional way, and it has since sold 45 million copies and been translated into 36 languages.
The slowest-selling book of all time is the Oxford University Press translation of the New Testament from Coptic to Latin. In 1716, 500 copies were printed. The last sold in 1907.
The term “Young Adult” was coined by the Young Adult Library Services Association in the 1960s to describe the 12–18 age range. (I’ve been telling customers it was 10–16 — duh!)
Even though serial publishing had existed long before, Charles Dickens is often credited with beginning the craze with The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club (The Pickwick Papers). Installments were published over 19 issues from March 1836 to October 1837.
The phrase “Elementary, my dear Watson” does not appear in any Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes story. It is first used by P.G. Wodehouse in the novel Psmith, Journalist.
Raymond Chandler, creator of private eye Phillip Marlowe, coined a term in 1947, describing a particular book as “unputdownable.”
In the original version of Cinderella, the stepsisters cut off parts of their feet to make the slipper fit and end up having their eyes plucked out by two pigeons. (Grimm fairy tale indeed.)

Headline at Yahoo Sports: “NFL Star Odell Beckham Jr. Wore a $350,000 Richard Mille Watch During the Browns’ Season Opener.” One must accessorize.

Less than a year after winning the World Series, the Boston Red Sox have parted ways with president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. Under his watch, the Sox won the AL east three straight years. They have struggled this season. As often happens in pro sports, it’s a case of what have you done for me lately.

My thanks to the ladies who bought childrens’ books on this glorious day, and to the gentleman who purchased a novel in Russian; and to the one who chose The Quotable Feynman by physicist Richard P. Feynman, and a pictorial on cave art; and to Alice, who selected The Shape Shifter by Tony Hillerman; and to Lynn, who donated two Kings and a LeGuin; and to the Quiet Man, who went home with seven DVDs; and to Herbie, who had kind words to say about Present and Past, which he just finished. His only problem with it was that one of the characters reminded him of a kid who tormented him in school.

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