Now, it isn’t often that we report on modern literature, but even we enjoy the occasional thriller and fun beach read (not that we are saying Ken Follett is a beach read). We can’t have our followers thinking that we spend all of our time flipping through Bleak House or other 1st editions of Charles Dickens now, can we? So in that vein and on this popular author’s birthday we would like to offer you ten facts about Follett that you may not have known previously!
Also, we would like to take this time to introduce to you our latest catalogue – released just yesterday for Summer 2019, it is a wonderful representation of our inventory! With beautiful and interesting selections from each of our specialities (and some genres that perhaps you didn’t know we dabble in), it really is worth a good look. As Samm says – relax, sit back with a cup of coffee, and enjoy some of our latest and greatest catalogued items!
Now back to the blog…
10 Facts About Ken Follett
1. Ken Follett was born on June 5th, 1949 in Cardiff, Wales.
2. As a child, Follett was banned from watching television because his parents were part of a conservative, evangelical Christian movement known as Plymouth Brethren. That is how Follett developed an interest in reading at a young age!
3. Having moved to London at the age of 10, Follett applied and was admitted to University College London, where he studied philosophy and became interested in politics.
4. Upon his graduation in 1970, Follett took a 3 month post-grad course in journalism, and immediately took his new wife and son back to Cardiff to work as a trainee reporter on the South Wales Echo.
5. Though he first returned from Cardiff to work in London at the Evening News, Follett became bored of his profession and decided to try his hand at publishing, instead. After a short time in his new trade, Follett was made deputy managing director of Everest Books – a relatively small London publishing house.
6. Follett has said that his reasoning for writing his first book, Eye of the Needle, was to hopefully make some money on the side in order to fix his car. If only we all had such inclinations that casually turned out to be best sellers!
7. Eye of the Needle is, to this date, one of Follett’s most popular works. Upon its publication in 1978 it became an international best seller and sold over 10 million copies. We are assuming Follett then had enough money to fix his car. Or buy a new car. Or maybe even a plane.
8. Many of Follett’s works have also been international best sellers, with a few even adapted for the big screen. Follett’s works have sold over 160 million copies worldwide.
9. Most of Follett’s works are placed in the historical thriller genre or thriller/mystery genres of literature. He has published over 44 books throughout his life.
10. Follett is an amateur musician, playing the guitar and the bass balalaika. Here is a video of him singing and playing the guitar to “Mustang Sally”. You are welcome.
Happy Birthday, Ken Follett!
Psst… and don’t forget to check out our new catalogue!
Gilbert Keith Chesterton was born on May 29th, 1874, in Kensington, London. His childhood is not elaborately researched, but we do know that he was born to a family of Unitarians, and as a young man was interested in the occult and regularly played (or practiced) with a Quija board with his younger brother (and only sibling) Cecil. He was educated at St. Paul’s School in London, but instead of continuing on to a university as you might have expected, Chesterton attended the Slade School of Art in London – in hopes of eventually becoming an illustrator. Though at Slade Chesterton took lessons in both art and literature, Chesterton left without a degree in either!
When Chesterton was 27 years old, he married Frances Alice Blogg – an author herself, who would prove to be a major influence on Chesterton’s writing and religious life throughout the years. As www.chesterton.org mentions, Frances was in charge of all aspects of Chesterton’s life – kept his schedule for him, kept house, and kept him in check. According to the site, Chesterton often “had no idea where or when his next appointment was. He did much of his writing in train stations, since he usually missed the train he was supposed to catch. In one famous anecdote, he wired his wife, saying, ‘Am at Market Harborough. Where ought I to be?’” To which Mrs. Chesterton would almost inevitably respond with “Home.” The Chesterton’s were perhaps the epitome of the phrase “Behind every great man is an even greater woman.”
Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, on December 10th, 1830. She was the second of three children, with one elder brother named Austin and a younger sister, Lavinia. Her father was not only a lawyer by trade, but a trustee of Amherst College, where his father had been one of the founders of the school. With their background in education, the Dickinson children were given a thorough education for the time, certainly when it came to the two girls. At the age of 10 Emily and her sister began their studies at Amherst Academy, which had begun to allow female students a scant two years before their studies began. Emily remained at the school for seven years, studying math, literature, latin, botany, history, and all manner of respected academia. Upon finishing her studies at the Academy in 1847, Dickinson enrolled in the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary (now Mount Holyoke College). Although the Seminary was only 10 miles from her home, Dickinson only remained at the school for 10 months before returning home – for reasons many have tried to unearth but none can be sure of.
Though throughout her late teens Dickinson seemed to enjoy life in Amherst socially, and was certainly already writing poetry (a family friend Benjamin Franklin Newton hinted in letters before his death in this time that he had hoped to live to see her reach the success he knew possible), by her twenties Emily was already feeling a melancholy pull, exacerbated by her emotions when it came to death, and the deaths of those around her. Her mother’s many chronic illnesses kept Emily often at home, and by the 1860s (Dickinson’s 30s) she had already largely pulled out of the public eye. By her 40s, Dickinson rarely left her room, and preferred to speak with visitors through her door rather than face-to-face. Unbeknownst to any, Dickinson worked tirelessly throughout this period on her poetry, and by the end of her life had amassed a collection of roughly 1,800 poems neatly written in hand sewn journals. That being said, less than one dozen of her poems would be published during her lifetime. The first book of her poetry, published four years after her death on May 15th, 1886 by her sister Lavinia, was a resounding success. In less than two years, eleven editions of the first book had been printed, and her words spread across nations.
Webster married Rebecca Greenleaf in 1789, and as she was of good breeding (man, I don’t get to use that phrase often enough) he was able to join higher levels of society in Connecticut than he had been. (They would later have 8 children, but that is neither here nor there.) Due to his beliefs in the revolution and conviction in America’s greatness, one Alexander Hamilton loaned him $1,500 in 1793 to move to New York and become the editor for the Federalist Papers. For the next few decades, Webster spent much of his time being one of the most profuse authors of the time, especially when it came to political reports, but also in regard to textbooks and articles across the board.
