Writers

‘Frankenstein’ Manuscript Shows the Evolution of Mary Shelley’s Monster

A British publisher is releasing 1,000 facsimiles of the two notebooks in which Shelly scrawled her iconic novel

After Audubon's health began to fail, his family completed the project, producing the color plates in installments for about 300 subscribers.

The Fantastic Beasts of John James Audubon's Little-Known Book on Mammals

The American naturalist spent the last years of his life cataloguing America's four-legged creatures

A decline in women authors and named characters has subtly shaped our understanding of literary history, says study author Ted Underwood.

Women Were Better Represented in Victorian Novels Than Modern Ones

Big data shows that women used to be omnipresent in fiction. Then men got in the way

The wife and daughters of Mark Twain

For Mark Twain, It Was Love At First Sight

The aspiring author knew Olivia Langdon was the one when he first laid eyes on a photograph of her

The "Saucy Jacky" postcard

Were the Jack the Ripper Letters Fabricated by Journalists?

Linguistic analysis indicates at least two of the most infamous letters were likely written by the same person—and that person was not the Ripper

Ellen Raskin designed the first-edition book cover; she later wrote The Westing Game, which won its own Newbery.

The Remarkable Influence of 'A Wrinkle in Time'

How the Madeleine L'Engle novel liberated young adult literature

The frontispiece of Wheatley's poetry collection describes her as a "Negro servant" rather than a slave, though she wasn't freed until after the book's publication.

The Most Notorious Poet in 18th Century America Was An Enslaved Teenager You've Never Heard Of

Phyllis Wheatley was a prodigy, but her ultimate fate reflects the gross racial disparities of 1700s America

Engraving of the Marquis de Sade (1740-1814)

‘120 Days of Sodom', Marquis de Sade's Depraved Opus, Declared a French National Treasure

Officials sought to prevent the manuscript from being sold at an upcoming auction

A much older Samuel Clemens, perhaps pondering his next invention.

How Mark Twain’s Hatred of Suspenders Drove Him to Invent

Under his given name, Samuel Clemens, Twain held several patents

Middlebury College Archivist Danielle Rougeau holds a Christmas card sent by poet Robert Frost in 1962, shortly before his death.

Catch a Rare Viewing of Robert Frost's Cheery, Dreary, Dark Christmas Cards

The poet’s annual Christmas cards, made in compilation with printer Joe Blumenthal, were not necessarily traditional, but they were always beautiful

Researchers Investigate What Makes a Poem Popular

A recent study found that vividness of imagery best predicted a poem's aesthetic appeal

Janelle Shane's neural network needs a lot of first lines before it can teach itself to write good ones.

This Neural Network Can (Maybe) Start a Novel Better Than You

As the end of NaNoWriMo draws near, take a look at one researcher's effort to help find that perfect first line

A cumulonimbus cloud formation, AKA a thunderstorm.

Our Cloud Names Come From a 1700s Amateur Meteorologist

Luke Howard's nomenclature inspired writers as well as scientists

The Orient Express circa 1883

What Was the Inspiration for “The Murder on the Orient Express”?

Agatha Christie wrote her famous detective novel based on an even more famous kidnapping

Anne Royall's headstone at Washington D.C.'s Congressional Cemetery.

The 19th-Century Woman Journalist Who Made Congress Bow Down in Fear

A new book examines the life and legacy of Anne Royall, whose literal witch trial made headlines across the country

The new edition of Vita Sackville-West's story features art deco-style illustrations

Now You Can Read the Stamp-Sized Story That May Have Inspired Virginia Woolf's "Orlando"

Vita Sackville-West's hero predates and mirrors Woolf's androgynous time-traveler

Lee receiving the Medal of Freedom in 2007

Unpublished Harper Lee Letters Purchased at Auction Share Intimate Reflections

The letters from the <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> scribe include remembrances of Hollywood celebrities, a bit of history and some sass

Robert La Follette

Fake News and Fervent Nationalism Got a Senator Tarred as a Traitor During WWI

The fiery progressive Robert La Follette responded with a classic defense of free speech in wartime

British novelist Kazuo Ishiguro during a press conference at his home in London, Thursday Oct. 5, 2017.

What to Know About Literature's Newest Nobel Winner British Novelist Kazuo Ishiguro

The author of <i>The Remains of the Day</i> and seven other books explores themes of memory, time and self-deception

Hemingway's Earliest Piece of Fiction Discovered

The phony travelogue describes a trip from his home in Illinois across the Atlantic to Ireland and Scotland

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