Books on the Wall blog posts featuring engaging literary infographics.
Germany has produced some of the finest artistic and intellectual minds in the Western world, from Beethoven and Bach to Einstein and Kant. Perhaps there’s no better way for non-Germans to understand the German psyche than to read some of the finest books by the greatest German authors. Who are these authors, you may ask? Although there are hundreds of awe-inspiring artists to read from the canon of German literature, today we’ll take a look at five of the greatest German authors. Get a sneak peek by checking out our infographic, or scroll down below the infographic for full details […]
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If you’re anything like us, you constantly think about the lives of some of the world’s most famous writers. How did they get started with writing? And when? Looking back on a a now-famous author’s life work, I always catch myself thinking, “That author was a genius! I’m sure she had no problem getting work published.” Or, “Yeah, it must have been super easy for him; he’s obviously talented.” In reality, though, even the most popular authors often struggle for a long time before finally getting published. Many published authors have a family or a day job (or both) and don’t even really […]
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What is a serial novel? A serial novel is a work of fiction that is published in sequential pieces called installments. These installments can be published at nearly any interval for nearly any period of time, though weekly and monthly installments are most typical. Serialized novels have traditionally been published by literary magazines, newspapers, and other periodicals. In fact, the breakout hit podcast Serial got its name from this style of publishing a story in installments. Some serial novels—like The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins—were written specifically for that format, while others—like parts of Middlemarch by George Eliot—were originally intended to be a […]
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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? […]
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Books are the best way to visit a new place when you can’t actually go anywhere. Check out our infographic with a book recommendation for every state in the USA. Which state will you visit next? What are your recommendations for books set across the United States? — For those who prefer text, here’s a text list of our book recommendations for every state in the USA. 50 States of Books Alabama Boy’s Life (1991) Robert McCammon Alaska The Yiddish Policemen’s Union (2007) Michael Chabon Arizona Animal Dreams (1990) Barbara Kingsolver Arkansas I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) Maya […]
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In the course of researching for Books on the Wall poster designs and various blog posts and infographics, we come across some pretty neat stuff. When we find some interesting facts about literature, we make a scribble in the Books on the Wall notepad, bookmark the link…and move on. Looking back on that notepad recently, though, we realized that we’ve collected quite a few random but really interesting facts about some of our favorite writers—including their lives, backgrounds, habits, and interests. To share the literary love, we compiled 10 of those facts into this brief infographic. Scroll down below the infographic […]
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Throughout our research for new poster designs and blog posts, we’ve occasionally stumbled across an author and thought, “Huh, didn’t realize she was from there!” One of our latest discoveries, for example, was JRR Tolkein. Did you know that Tolkein is from South Africa? We had no idea! We figured we can’t be the only ones who are unaware of certain authors’ backgrounds—so we thought we’d share some of our favorite Irish authors, some of whom we didn’t even know were Irish. For those who prefer text, the same information is presented below. 9 Authors You Didn’t Know Were Irish Oscar […]
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We were so excited about the reader response on our first Around the World book infographic. We received many great suggestions and a lot of well-considered feedback, and we would like to first say a big “THANKS!” to our readers. You’re teaching us about new books and authors every day. We incorporated reader feedback along with our personal author favorites for our next list of recommended books set around the world. Again, this is not a “best of” list; we just want to give some suggestions for books set in interesting places. So join us as we travel the globe […]
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Have you ever read a book by a famous author (or a not-yet-famous one) and been able to instantly identify another author’s influence? All artists, including writers, are influenced by their peers and forebears, knowingly or not. We love the literary “circle of life” that results; in creating his or her own work, every author expresses something that connects with and inspires someone one else to create something new. Literary influences among 29 famous authors To explore this idea of literary influence, we chose a random assortment of 29 of our favorite famous authors and did some research into how they are […]
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Stuck wondering what your next book should be? We’ve all been there! But instead of asking yourself what you should read next, try asking yourself: Where do I want to go? Check out our infographic for a few recommendations for your next book, based on where each novel or play takes place. We chose a random assortment of novels and plays set around the world; this is definitely not a comprehensive or “best of” list. Just some ideas for your next reading adventure! For those viewing on mobile, you can find the text contents of the infographic below along with […]
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