They say not to judge a book by its cover, but there’s no saying about judging a book by its first line.
I can usually tell within a few minutes if I’ll enjoy a book. Based on this infographic, it seems that many famous books are good from the start.
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” but did you know the entire first line for “A Tale of Two Cities” is much longer? The first sentence in the book is a whopping 119 words.
On the other hand, “Fahrenheit 451” opens with an easy to remember one-liner: “It was a pleasure to burn.”
It’s interesting to see how these prolific authors chose to start their books. This infographic has books as old as “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea” and as new as “The Hunger Games,” so you also get a glimpse of how writing style has evolved over time.
To learn even more about best-selling books, take a peek at our infographic post on the anatomy of a best-selling book.
