Articles from the Blog

The Hunchback of Notre Dame: How the Book and Movie Differ

Classic Literature
Blog graphic of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Disney movie vs Victor Hugo's book, Notre-Dame de Paris

Despite their regular global success, Disney movies aren’t known for being particularly accurate. They are generally neither true to history, like in the case of Pocahontas, nor to their original fictional source (see: The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, Tarzan and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, among others). That last one is the focus of our post today. So how does the Disney animated movie, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, differ from the original book by Victor Hugo, Notre-Dame de Paris? Obvious Differences Illustration of the Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo, via Wikimedia Commons Let’s start with the “no-duh” differences between […]

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Words Wednesday: Oscar Wilde

Classic LiteratureQuotesWords Wednesday
"Live the wonderful life that is in you." Quote by Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Graphic by Books on the Wall.

This quote comes from Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, published in 1890. A brilliant wordsmith, Oscar Wilde is perhaps most known for his sharp turn of turn-of-phrase and memorable one-liners which hide a kernal of truth in a pithy joke. When The Picture of Dorian Gray was published, British reviewers were scandalized by its so-called moral impropriety, and some even suggested that Wilde be prosecuted for violating public morality. Wilde’s reply to these critics, published in the print version of the novel, has become as famous as the novel itself: “There is no such thing as a moral […]

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NEW! Tarzan Book Poster

Announcements
Tarzan book poster by Books on the Wall

This 18″x24″ Tarzan book poster displays up to the end of Chapter 22 of Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The text is 100% legible in a crisp 2.6 Helvetica font. Originally published in 1912, Tarzan of the Apes follows John Clayton, a man who is orphaned as a child in West Africa and adopted by a kindly ape, Kala. Now known as Tarzan, he grows up aware of the physical differences between him and his ape tribe, but he does not learn of his real identity until he discovers his birth parents’ cabin and teaches himself to […]

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Words Wednesday: Victor Hugo

Classic LiteratureQuotesWords Wednesday
Quote from Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, graphic by Books on the Wall

This quote comes from Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables. Originally published in French in 1862, the historical novel follows several characters, including ex-convict Jean Valjean and orphaned Cosette, during France’s June Rebellion. One of longest novels ever written, critics have argued that the length of Les Misérables is in fact its greatest strength. Numerous movie and Broadway adaptations have helped Victor Hugo’s masterpiece remain as popular and relevant as ever. If you’re a big Les Mis fan—or you haven’t started reading it yet—check our Les Misérables text poster!

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How to Order a Custom Book Poster

Announcements
How to Order a Custom Poster by Books on the Wall, graphic by Books on the Wall

Here’s a quick look into how to order a custom book poster from Books on the Wall. It’s super easy! Send us an email at hello@booksonthewall.com or shoot us a message through our Etsy shop. Let us know which novel(s) you are interested in and what poster size and orientation you prefer. If you have a specific image in mind, or just a list of images you like, send them our way too. We’ll send you a cost estimate, and once approved, we’ll immediately get to work on your custom book poster. Depending on your request, we’ll make two or three different […]

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Words Wednesday: William Shakespeare (The Tempest)

Classic LiteratureQuotesWords Wednesday
Quote from The Tempest by William Shakespeare, graphic by Books on the Wall

This quote comes from The Tempest. Written and published in the early 1600s, The Tempest follows the powerful sorceror, Prospero, and his daughter Miranda, who have been exiled to a faraway island by Prospero’s brother, Antonio. Prospero summons the titular tempest at the beginning of the play to bring his traitorous brother and conspirators to the island. Interested in what happens next? Read the full play of The Tempest here.

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The Best Opening Lines in Literature (15 Books)

Classic LiteratureContemporary LiteratureQuotes
Graphic by Books on the Wall, Famous opening lines from literature

Some books take a while to really get into. You slog through the first few chapters until, finally, something pulls you in and convinces you to finish it. Some books never get there at all. But a few books reach out to you from the very first words on the very first page. What is it that makes an opening line stand out? Some opening lines are effective because they succinctly introduce some major element of the novel: maybe the hero, the villain, the conflict or all of those at once. Some opening lines linger in our minds as poetry, […]

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NEW! Phantom of the Opera Book Poster

AnnouncementsClassic Literature
The Phantom of the Opera book poster

This 18″x24″ Phantom of the Opera book poster features up to the last chapter, Chapter 26, of the novel by Gaston Leroux. The text is 100% legible in a crisp 2.6 Helvetica font. Originally published in France as Le Fantôme de l’Opéra, The Phantom of the Opera follows Erik, the mysterious “ghost” of the Paris Opera, and his musical ingénue and romantic obsession, Christine. Throughout the novel, Christine harbors feelings of both sympathy and revulsion toward her teacher and captor, whose grasp she narrowly escapes in the end. Made famous by several Broadway, film and musical adaptations, The Phantom of the Opera […]

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Words Wednesday: Barbara Kingsolver

Contemporary LiteratureQuotesWords Wednesday
Quote from The Poisonwood BIble by Barbara Kingsolver, graphic by Books on the Wall

Published in 1998, The Poisonwood Bible follows the lives of the Price family, missionaries who move from the state of Georgia to the Belgian Congo in 1959. Throughout the novel, The Poisonwood Bible delves into the lives and minds of each member of the Price family as they build their lives in Africa. The novel ultimately explores themes of religion, guilt, humanity and the tragic consequences of colonialism. Barbara Kingsolver’s novel was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1999.

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NEW! Black Beauty Book Poster

AnnouncementsChildren's BooksClassic Literature
Full-text Black Beauty poster by Books on the Wall

This 18″x24″ Black Beauty book poster features the full text of the novel. The text is 100% legible in a crisp 2.8 Helvetica font. Written by English author Anna Sewell, Black Beauty was published in 1877. The novel was an immediate success with critics and audiences and to date, it has sold over 50 million copies. Though Sewell wrote the novel for people of all ages, Black Beauty has become an especially popular children and young adult’s novel. Narrated in first person by the horse Black Beauty, the novel follows the horse through changes in owner and circumstance, both kind and cruel. […]

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