Book lovers unite

Books... The stories we love and some facts you didn't know!

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There’s no denying it: Few pleasures compare to curling up on a rainy day with a cup of hot cocoa and a good book, don’t you think? But behind the book you’re holding, there are many stories to be told. For example, do you know how big the largest private collection is? Or have you ever put a name to that fear of running out of books to read? Well, in this article, we’ve gathered 13 book-related facts that will make you love books even more!

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Have you ever panicked at the very thought of finishing your current book with no backup ready? That’s abibliophobia, the fear of running out of something to read.

Of course, it’s not officially recognized by doctors, but we bet every bookworm knows the terror of a suddenly empty bookshelf. Thank goodness for e-readers, libraries, and bookstores to keep the anxiety at bay!

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Say hello to Teeny Ted from Turnip Town, the world’s smallest book, measuring a microscopic 70 by 100 micrometers. That’s smaller than a grain of sand! Created in 2007 using nanotechnology, it even has its own ISBN number.

This book holds the Guinness World Record for the smallest reproduction of a printed book. But don’t expect to read it unless you’ve got a high-powered microscope. Imagine telling someone, "Oh, I’ve just finished a quick read," and pulling out this pint-sized masterpiece!

Credit: Library of Congress

Talk about ambition: Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, reportedly read one book every single day. And when his schedule allowed, he’d tackle two!

Whether it was history, poetry, or adventure novels, Roosevelt devoured books. It’s inspiring, sure, but let’s be honest, most of us struggle to get through one a week. Chapeau to you, Teddy, but you’re on your own on this one!

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Book lover John Q. Benham takes the term "well-read" to a whole new level with his private collection of 1.5 million books.

This Guinness World Record holder from Indiana has so many books that he’s had to store them in his garage, a two-story building, and even outdoors. Imagine trying to find your favorite title in that maze!

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If you’ve ever bought a book, placed it on a shelf, and left it there unread, you’re guilty of tsundoku. This Japanese term describes the all-too-relatable habit of collecting books faster than you can read them.

We’re not book-shaming anyone, we do that too. It’s not about neglect, it’s about the thrill of owning stories just waiting to be explored. And a bit of abibliophobia, right?

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Victor Hugo didn’t just write novels, he wrote endurance challenges. Do you know the classic Les Misérables? Well, it contains a single sentence that’s 805 words long! In case you’re trying to picture what that looks like, that’s longer than some short stories!

While it might test your patience (and your lung capacity if you tried to read it aloud, for sure), it’s a testament to Hugo’s genius. Who needs cardio when they could just practice reading this one out loud?

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Did you know that a single tree can produce up to 50 books? It’s kind of a bittersweet fact because while trees are precious, so are the stories printed on their pages.

Thankfully, e-books and recycled paper are helping make publishing more eco-friendly. In any case, it’s a good thing that it only takes one tree to produce that many books. Yes, you can go hug your favorite hard-cover, but thank the tree that made it too!

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Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester isn’t just a book, it’s quite literally a treasure. This handwritten journal, filled with da Vinci’s scientific musings, was bought by Bill Gates in 1994 for $30.8 million!

Adjusted for inflation, it’s now worth over $62 million. You can already imagine the safety measures around it. Gates occasionally lends it out for exhibitions. Nobody can blame him, even billionaires love to show off their book collections.

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If you’re not a big reader and want to find some motivation to read more, here’s a great reason to dive into a good book: Studies have shown that regular reading can reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s by 2.5 times.

Keeping your brain active with novels, biographies, or even crossword puzzles helps build cognitive reserves. So, next time someone calls you a bookworm, take it as a compliment and just tell them this is your health plan!

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This one is for the true bookworms out there. If you’ve ever cracked open an old book and taken a deep whiff, you’ve experienced bibliosmia, the love of that distinctive "old book smell."

It’s caused by the breakdown of chemicals in the paper and ink, releasing an aroma that’s part nostalgia, part heaven. If you ask us, libraries should bottle this scent! Who needs perfume when you can smell like a first-edition classic?

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Think your to-be-read pile is overwhelming? Over 900,000 new books are published every year worldwide, and that’s a conservative estimate.

China leads the charge, followed by the U.S. and the UK. Whether it’s thrillers, memoirs, or cookbooks, there’s truly something for everyone being published as you read this article. But keeping up with even a fraction of these releases? That’s a challenge only the most dedicated book lovers would dare take on. Call for Roosevelt!

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Book-related Guinness records are extraordinary. Here’s one more: In 2012, Sydney, Australia, set the world record for the most people balancing books on their heads. How many? 998, to be exact.

It was part of a festival promoting literacy, and participants of all ages joined in. And in case you were wondering what they did with those books, they were donated to an orphanage in Kenya. Amazing, don’t you think?

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Before Johannes Gutenberg’s groundbreaking invention in 1440, books were painstakingly copied by hand. Exhausting, right?

His printing press revolutionized the way words were shared, making books faster and cheaper to produce. It’s no exaggeration to say Gutenberg paved the way for modern publishing—and for our beloved libraries and bookstores. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you, Johnny!

Once upon a rhyme

Dark origins: You'll never hear these nursery rhymes the same way again!

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We all have those nursery rhymes etched in our memory, verses that take us straight back to our childhood. But behind some of those catchy, cheerful tunes lie surprisingly dark and mysterious origins rooted in real-life history! Join us to discover the hidden stories behind the most popular nursery rhymes!

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Although it's a staple in preschools, this rhyme is believed to have originated from a rather sinister urban legend. According to the myth, in 16th-century London, there was a baker named Frederic Thomas Lynwood, who had a creepy nickname: "the Dicer of Drury Lane." As the tale goes, this man was said to be a dangerous criminal who used muffins to lure his victims!

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Making a circle to the rhythm of "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" is a childhood classic. But once you learn the origin of this nursery rhyme, the lyrics might take on a whole new meaning. It's believed that "the bush" was actually a mulberry tree in the center of the yard at Wakefield Prison in England. There, female inmates would circle the tree exercising, or repeating the same domestic chores day after day.

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"Ring around the rosie, pocket full of posies!" Sound familiar? Of course it does! But there might be a tragic story behind this animated rhyme.

The bubonic plague of the 14th century, also known as the "Black Death," claimed a staggering 25 to 50 million lives in Europe. It's believed that this catastrophic event is reflected in the lines of this famous nursery rhyme: The "ring around the rosie" could refer to the red, circular rash that appeared on the skin of those infected, and suddenly, the line "we all fall down" hits differently once you know where it may have come from.

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"Pop Goes the Weasel" is a classic, though trying to make sense of its lyrics isn't exactly easy. The confusion might come down to how language has evolved over time, particularly slang. It seems that "weasel" was once a common slang term for a fur coat in England before the 19th century. This rhyme is believed to have originated in the financial struggles of the time, where the less privileged classes would sell their weasels to get by.

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The symbolism behind Jack and Jill hides more than you think. While there are several theories -one even involving a tragic love story- many believe the rhyme's origin is tied to a monarch's decision in the 16th century. Jack and Jill may refer to Richard Empson and Edmund Dudley, financial advisors and ministers to King Henry VII of England. As money collectors, they were not very popular, especially among the privileged classes. When King Henry VIII took office, they were accused of treason: One fell down first, and his partner came tumbling after.

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The catchy and fun "Baa Baa Black Sheep" is also one of the most popular. The most widely accepted version of its origin has to do with taxes! That's right; in the 13th century, King Edward I of England imposed a "sheep tax," which required that a portion of all wool produced be given to the monarchy. Thus, in the rhyme, the master and the dame could represent the monarchy, which benefited from this rule at the expense of the people.

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"Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home / Your house is on fire and your children are gone," goes the nursery rhyme "Ladybird, Ladybird," well known in many English-speaking countries. There are two main theories about its origin -one more obscure than the other- and it's the darker one that draws our attention. It's believed that the rhyme may be related to the religious conflicts of 16th-century England, with the "ladybird" symbolizing persecuted Catholics during the English Reformation.

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We've all heard "Rock-a-bye Baby" at one point or another; it's one of the most famous nursery rhymes. Though it's now sung as a gentle lullaby, the rhyme has roots in deep political conflict and change. In 17th-century England, the Catholic King James II was overthrown and replaced by the Protestant rulers William and Mary. So, in the rhyme, the "tree top" and the "branch" symbolize royal power, the "wind" represents the Protestant forces, and the "baby" is believed to refer to the overthrown king.

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Apparently, the English Civil War played a key role in the emergence of one of the most well-known nursery rhymes: "Humpty Dumpty." As we know, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, and all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again. Thus, "Humpty" would represent the mandate of King Charles I, who was pressured and overthrown by parliamentary forces.

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We must tell you that the origins of this fun nursery rhyme also come from infamous historical facts. It's believed that the "three blind mice" represent three Protestant bishops who were persecuted and sentenced to death under the reign of Queen Mary I of England, portrayed in the rhyme as the "farmer's wife." Their "blindness" is thought to symbolize their rejection of Catholicism. Pretty deep for a nursery rhyme, right?