Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald (who was actually known only as “Scott”) are two of the most acclaimed American authors of the last century. Friends, colleagues, readers, critics, travelers, expats, members of “The Lost Generation”…Fitzgerald and Hemingway shared more than just a knack for the written word. At once the closest of friends and the most jealous of competitors, Hemingway and Fitzgerald led public, tumultuous, and booze-soaked lives—both together and apart. So let’s take a deeper look at these literary frenemies! Hemingway and Fitzgerald infographic So how did the life of Ernest Hemingway compare to the life of F. Scott Fitzgerald? […]
Continue ReadingThis quote comes from Virginia Woolf’s autobiographical extended essay, A Room of One’s Own. Originally delivered as a lecture series throughout 1928, A Room of One’s Own is considered one of the earliest and most prominent feminist texts. In this essay, Woolf explores the limitations historically imposed on women seeking to pursue an education and a career in writing. Nearly one hundred years later, many of Woolf’s arguments and questions about the expectations and opportunities for women are still unfortunately and exceedingly relevant. “No need to hurry. No need to sparkle. No need to be anyone but oneself.” -Virginia Woolf, A […]
Continue ReadingThis quote comes from Alexandre Dumas’ beloved classic The Count of Monte Cristo. Published in serialized form from 1844 to 1845, The Count of Monte Cristo is a classic adventure tale of imprisonment, vengeance, and forgiveness. Alexandre Dumas is also widely celebrated for The Three Musketeers. Want more of The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas? Check out our Count of Monte Cristo book poster, a 36″x24″ design that contains up to Chapter 34 of the classic novel.
Continue ReadingWe love using Pinterest to find the most interesting book-related things out there. Jewelry made from the pages of your favorite book? Check. Awesome infographics about books through history? Check. Pictures of cats cuddling with books to give you the literary warm and fuzzies? Check. In no particular order, here are some of our favorite book-related Pinterest boards that celebrate the written word. Be sure to follow these Pinners to see more of their awesome collections. Colgate Bookstore’s Bookish Things We Love Sandee Suitt’s Wonderful World of Books Book Riot’s Book Fetish Caitlin W-F’s Book Related Things eBook Friendly’s Book […]
Continue ReadingThere’s nothing we love more here at Books on the Wall than reading a book and using it to create a new poster design. That’s why we’re happy to announce our newest addition to the Books on the Wall family: an 18″x24″ full-text poster of Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. Siddhartha is a profound story of a young man in ancient India who abandons his life to search for his own form of spiritual enlightenment. Its reflections on human nature, the search for wisdom, and the circular conception of time have engaged audiences all over the world. The poster design (and […]
Continue ReadingThis quote appears in the very first few sentences of Lady Chatterly’s Lover, written by DH Lawrence and first published privately in Italy in 1928. The novel was banned in countries like the United Kingdom for many years due to its explicit language and frank depiction of sexuality. “We’ve got to live, no matter how many skies have fallen.” -DH Lawrence, Lady Chatterly’s Lover
Continue ReadingHere at Books on the Wall, it’s pretty clear that we love us some good alliteration. In case you missed it, we publish a Words Wednesday every few weeks—hey, there’s some more alliteration!—with a quote graphic featuring the poignant, pithy, or polished prose of our favorite authors. (Okay, okay, we’re done now.) We’ve got Words Wednesdays galore: William Shakespeare, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Leo Tolstoy…and more. Love of alliteration aside, we’re excited to bring our newest series of posts to the Books on the Wall blog: Novel Knowledge. (The fact that N + K = alliteration demonstrates what we all already know […]
Continue ReadingWinner of the National Book Award in 2001, Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections tells the story of the Lambert family from a fictional Midwestern town called St. Jude. The three adult children left their parents in St. Jude many years before, but now each one faces his or her own brand of personal crisis while their father slowly descends into dementia. Listen to Jonathan Franzen’s interview about The Corrections on NPR. “And when the event, the big change in your life, is simply an insight—isn’t that a strange thing? That absolutely nothing changes except that you see things differently and you’re less fearful […]
Continue ReadingWe’re excited to announce our latest product: a 24″x18″-inch design of The Call of the Wild by Jack London. This Call of the Wild book poster features the full text of Jack London’s acclaimed adventure novel, set in front of an image of Buck howling at the moon. The Call of the Wild was originally published in 1903 and tells the tale of Buck, a pet who is dognapped and forced to work as a sled dog in the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s. Forced to contend with his harsh new reality, Buck answers the call of the wild […]
Continue ReadingThis quote comes from Celeste Ng’s recent novel, Everything I Never Told You. Though the plot primarily focuses on what happened to a missing teenage girl named Lydia, the story really deals with themes of family, culture, and identity (and especially how these three aspects of life interact). The novel explores the sometimes tragic distance between what we say and what we mean and who we are and who others think we are. We just finished the novel and would definitely recommend it as a quick but deeply affecting read. He can guess, but he won’t ever know, not really. What […]
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