From this fun, daring, reckless and scandalous book you will learn a lot about Shakespeare, Byron, Balzac, Mark Twain, Oscar Wilde, Conan Doyle, Jack London, Agatha Christie, Hemingway, Kurt Vonnegut and many others. Despite the fact that biographical, precise answers are given to all questions—after all, the book is strictly documentary—surprises and sensations await the reader literally on every page. The great, of course, remain great - in literature. And in everyday life they are no better than mere mortals. And, of course, it’s no worse. Except... more fun! The short (but uncut!) and blatantly scandalous biographical essays collected in this book - from Shakespeare's biography to Thomas Pynchon's resume - are designed to answer tough questions that school teachers were even afraid to ask: what was it about Lewis Carroll with little girls? Is it true that Jerome Salinger drank his own urine? How many women (and men) did Lord Byron actually sleep with? And why did Ayn Rand like the TV series Charlie's Angels so much? Classic literature in school never looked so classy... that is, COOL!