Portal:Books/DYK

Did you know...

...that in English language works the table of contents is at the beginning of a book, but in French and Spanish ones it is at the back, by the index?
...that print space determines the effective area on the paper of a book, journal or other press work, and is limited by the surrounding borders?
...that the craft of bookbinding may have originated around the 1st century A.D.?

...that the Voynich manuscript is written in an unknown script?(Pictured)
...that the Edwin Smith Papyrus is the world's earliest known example of medical literature?
...that in the movie Futurama: Bender's Big Score, Bender returns to the past and steals the Gutenberg Bible?

...that the world's largest book has 730 leaves and 1460 pages; each page is three and a half feet wide, five feet tall and five inches thick?(Pictured)
...that before the invention and adoption of the printing press, almost all books were copied by hand, making books expensive and comparatively rare?
...that biggest book in the world is Bhutan: A Visual Odyssey Across the Last Himalayan Kingdom by Michael Hawley, which measures 1.5 m x 2.1 m (5 feet x 7 feet?

...that Black Beauty was banned in South Africa because of the use of the word 'black' in the title?(Pictured)
...that in December 1936, George Orwell went to Spain as a fighter for the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War ?
...that Epigraphia Carnatica, compiled by Benjamin L. Rice, contains a study of about 9000 inscriptions found in the Old Mysore region of India?

...that in woodblock printing, a relief image of an entire page was carved into blocks of wood, inked, and used to print copies of that page?(Pictured)
...that the author of The Strange Death of Tory England advises UK Conservatives to learn from the conservatism of the socialist George Orwell?
...that Oliver Twist is the first novel in the English language to centre throughout on a child protagonist?

...that Celsus Library was built in 135 A.D. and could house around 12,000 scrolls?(Pictured)
...that following the advice of minister Li Si, Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered the burning of all philosophy books and history books from states other than Qin — beginning in 213 BC?
...that according to the Torah in the fourth year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah the prophet Jeremiah dictated the words of the Lord to Baruch, who wrote them in ink upon a roll of a book?

...that Library of Alexandria was once the largest library in the world?(Pictured)
...that the government of Bavaria, in agreement with the federal government of Germany, does not allow any copying or printing of Mein Kampf in Germany?
...that among the books that end up in the Simpson's fireplace in episode Dog of Death are The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (which ironically enough, is about a society where books are burned), and Fatherhood by Bill Cosby?

...that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sold more than 11 million copies in the first twenty-four hours following its release?(Pictured)
...that Guinness World Records is the best-selling copyrighted series of all-time?
... that the c. 8th-century medical text Al-Risalah al-Dhahabiah, attributed to Ali al-Ridha, is also known as the "Golden Treatise"?

...that by 2007, the Bible was translated into 429 languages, with portions of it translated in 2,426 languages?(Pictured)
...that Muslims believe that the Qur’ān is the book of divine guidance and direction for mankind?
...that the Rig Veda is one of the oldest religious texts?

...that A Christmas Carol sold over six thousand copies in one week?(Pictured)
...that the Book of Revelation 21:21 describes the city of New Jerusalem as having streets "made of pure gold, clear as crystal" ?
...that the early nineteenth century, books were hand-bound using heavy materials such as wood, leather, gold, silver and jewels?
...that the Arabic translation of Borunsi sold one million copies in its first year of publication?
...that Albert Pick wrote the first modern catalog of banknotes in 1974 ?