Which author had the heaviest brain? What was the original title of <em>1984</em>?When did cigarettes first appear in English literature? And, while we&rsquo;re at it, whowrote the first Western, and is there any link between asthma and literary genius?Sutherland&rsquo;s irreverent literary exploration illuminates every topic imaginablefrom author advances to Civil War literature to Victorian sex to odd things eatenby literary characters (think Patrick Bateman&rsquo;s girlfriend in <em>American Psycho</em>).This is a treasure trove of fascinating information for all book lovers.