10 Fascinating Facts About Books, Authors, and Readers on International Book Lovers Day
In celebration of International Book Lovers Day, here are ten intriguing facts about books, their authors, and avid readers. The Bible holds the record as the best-selling book in history, with over 5 billion copies distributed worldwide. Surprisingly, J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" ranks second among fiction books, surpassing even "Harry Potter" in some listings.
The unique scent of old books is scientifically known as bibliosmia, caused by the chemical breakdown of paper and ink, producing vanilla and almond-like aromas. The most expensive book ever purchased was Leonardo da Vinci's "Codex Leicester," bought by Bill Gates in 1994 for $30.8 million. J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" reignited a love for reading, selling around 120 million copies, with the entire series exceeding 500 million copies and setting library lending records globally.
Marcel Proust's "In Search of Lost Time" holds the Guinness World Record for the longest novel, containing approximately 1.2 million words across seven volumes. The modern fear of running out of reading material is termed abibliophobia. In 1969, French author Georges Perec wrote a 300-page novel, "La Disparition," without using the letter E, the most common letter in French.
The term "censorship" originates from ancient Rome, where a censor was a government official responsible for population census and moral oversight, including banning certain writings. The smallest book ever created is a miniature version of "Teeny Ted from Turnip Town," measuring just 0.07 by 0.1 millimeters, readable only with an electron microscope.
In Israel, the best-selling author is Professor Yuval Noah Harari, with over 50 million copies sold and translations into more than 60 languages. Other successful Israeli authors include David Grossman, Eshkol Nevo, Ephraim Kishon, and the late Amos Oz. Surveys show that Galila Ron-Feder Amit is the most beloved children's author, while Meir Shalev is the favorite among adults. Internationally, Harlan Coben and J.K. Rowling are the most borrowed authors in public libraries.
