12 Book and Reading Facts You May Not Know

Latin for “Seize the book.”

Since today is cold and rainy, i.e., a perfect reading day, here are 12 Book and Reading Facts for your entertainment.

I often post interesting trivia about the world of books—writing them,  reading them, and publishing them—on social media. Maybe you’ve seen my Facebook Fan Page or my Instagram account.

I’ve been a reader since before I entered elementary school so reading was my earliest passion.

For many years, I’ve collected interesting tidbits about books, authors, and reading, and I update reading statistics every year. Enjoy!

1. The longest sentence ever printed is 823 words, and it’s from Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. In today’s world, that’s a chapter in many books.

2. There’s a word for loving the smell of old books. You walk into a vintage bookstore, and that scent hits your nose. That smell is created by dust and other particulates in the book’s life and is called Bibliosmia.

4. Once upon a time, authors’ names were not printed on the covers of their books because the covers  were considered artworks—beautiful drawings and featuring leather and even gold. There simply wasn’t a place for the author’s name.

10. In 2024, in the United States, 21% of adults are illiterate.

11. Low levels of literacy costs the U. S. up to 2.2 trillion per year.

12. In a year, 44% of Americans do not read a book.

Takeaway Truth

Have you read a book recently? Do you set an example for your school-age children that reading is something fun to do, that it is essential for success in school?

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Joan Reeves aka SlingWords: The Word Slinging Adventures of Joan Reeves