Didja know...? (facts about books)

**zippy-kat** · 12-29-2002, 11:50 PM

Thought the bookworms of PT might enjoy some of these fun facts! (taken from Crossings )

*The average book takes 10hrs to read--so giving a book is like giving someone 10 hrs of pleasure and encouragement!

*The first book of crosswords was introduced on April 10, 1924 for a steep $1.35 per book and each one came with a freshly sharpened pencil. The publishers, Simon and Schuster, were advised to use an alias for their first run because their advisors were skeptical and thought it might fail, ruining them in the publishing industry. They took the advice and named themselves Plaza Printing Company. Within three months, book sales reached an astonishing 40,000! Needless to say, the editions of crossword puzzle books that followed bore their real name.

*The Main Library at Indiana Univ. sinks over an inch every year because, when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.

*The first novel ever written on a typewriter was Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

*The Bible is the most shoplifted book in the United States.

**mugsy** · 12-30-2002, 06:23 AM

The only fact that I knew was that IUs library is sinking.

**Cataholic** · 12-30-2002, 07:40 AM

I am too busy reading to be bothered by facts. And, ten hours? What are they reading, War and Peace? I think my average is 5 hours..I am just a Zippy reader, eh?

**mugsy** · 12-30-2002, 10:00 AM

I'm REALLY slow so 10 hours may not be enough for me!! lol I guess they took the average between me and Jo.

**lizbud** · 12-30-2002, 10:55 AM

Zippy,

Pretty interesting... Do you all know why this one is true? ;

*The Main Library at Indiana Univ. sinks over an inch every year because, when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.

Because they didn't use PURDUE University Engineers.

**The Cat Factory** · 12-30-2002, 11:05 AM

Wow! I didn't know any of those!

**mugsy** · 12-30-2002, 11:15 AM

Liz, that was GREAT!! Only another Hoosier truly understands that answer!! hehehe I'm an IU grad and I still don't like them!! hehehe

**lizbud** · 12-30-2002, 11:54 AM

Molly,

Darn, Just found that this is just a legend, not fact.

http://www.indiana.edu/~libweb/campus/libsink.html

Oh well, it's a nice legend , but Purdue does produce the best
Engineers in the state.( I.U has a Great School of Law).

**Desert Arabian** · 12-30-2002, 12:59 PM

Did you know: That while J.R.R. Tolkien was writing the Lord of the Rings trilogies, he created a new language: Elvish.

**lizbud** · 12-30-2002, 05:41 PM

YLL,

I saw Elvish in a list of languages, but didn't know where
it came from.

I know of J.R.R. Tolkien,of course,
but have not read his works.(or seen the movies). Thanks
for clearing that up.

p.s. Loved the Labbie website

**catland** · 12-30-2002, 06:53 PM

Originally posted by Cataholic
... And, ten hours? What are they reading, War and Peace? I think my average is 5 hours..I am just a Zippy reader, eh?

You have apparently been spared the Stephen King addiction. You can lose an entire weekend on some of his longer ones .

**lizbud** · 12-30-2002, 07:19 PM

Catland,

I forgot about the Stephan King Addiction

When I read The Strand, I carried the book around with me
constantly. It was hard to keep the characters separated in
my mind (so many), but after they started to thin out, it was
easier. I LOVE scarey books & the occasional well done horror
movie, like The Shineing.

**Twisterdog** · 12-30-2002, 09:34 PM

Hee hee .... I a Purdue alum ...... so I'm liking this thread!

**Twisterdog** · 12-30-2002, 09:37 PM

And perhaps when one is attemping to brag about one's alma mater ..... one should NOT make embarrassing typos!!

That should say, "I'M a Purdue alum ..." Sheesh!!!