Against the Grain

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics

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Britannica's Book Bingo. Take our reading challenge! Books range form greatest, banned, and counterculture.

Britannica’s Book Bingo

Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”

Mona Lisa, oil on wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503-06; in the Louvre, Paris, France. 77 x 53 cm.

Why Is the Mona Lisa So Famous?

Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales.

10 Captivating Contemporary Novels Set in the British Isles

Girl Reading On Turquoise Couch

9 American Countercultural Books

Discover

Artist interpretation of a Space meteoroid impact. Meteor impact. Asteroid, End of the world, danger, destruction, dinosaur extinct, Judgement Day, Planet Earth, Doomsday Predictions, comet

10 Failed Doomsday Predictions

Submerged sperm whale off east Sri Lanka coast, mammal

How Did the Sperm Whale Get Its Name?

NBA Lakers Celtics Finals Kevin Garnett shooting.

10 Great Sports Rivalries

Space race (1957-1969) infographic between United States (U.S.) and Russia. America, Soviet Union, U.S.S.R., space exploration

Timeline of the Space Race, 1957–69

Queen Elizabeth II addresses at opening of Parliament. (Date unknown on photo, but may be 1958, the first time the opening of Parliament was filmed.)

All 119 References in “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Explained

Figure 13: A Maxim machine gun, belt-fed and water-cooled, operated by German infantrymen, World War I.

7 Deadliest Weapons in History

Statue of Nostradamus

Nostradamus and His Prophecies

Against the Grain: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Topics

War and Peace Moby Dick Pride and Prejudice To Kill a Mockingbird Don Quixote Les Misérables The Hobbit The Picture of Dorian Gray Ulysses A Tale of Two Cities

Quiz

Textbook chalkboard and apple. Fruit of knowledge. Hompepage blog 2009, History and Society, school education students

The Literary World (Famous Novels)

Young woman with glasses reading a book, student

Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz

Portrait of young thinking bearded man student with stack of books on the table before bookshelves in the library

Famous Novels, First Lines Quiz

List

Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”