Five Minutes in Books

Featuring Benjamin Franklin

and

J.K. Rowling

Benjamin Franklin

“A learned blockhead is a greater

blockhead than an ignorant one.”

Poor Richard’s Almanac

• Yearly Publication that ran from 1732 –

1758

• Contained weather predictions, proverbs

and home-making advice

• Sold 10,000 per year

Library Company of

Philadelphia 1731

• Began when Franklin and his friends pooled

book collections and opened them to the public

• First American subscription library

• Allowed members to borrow books

• Perhaps the first truly public library

J.K. Rowling

“Remember, if the time should come

when you have to make a choice

between what is right and what is

easy.”

~ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

From Jo to J.K.

• Overcame many early obstacles to become

published

–12 Separate publishers turned her down

before finding one to sign her. Took a full

year to get a contract after finishing the first

manuscript.

– Joanne not the best name for an author

selling books to young boys. Chose to use

J.K. after advice from Publisher.

The Author for Everyone

• Read by adults and children worldwide

• As of 2009, 325 Million copies of the Harry Potter books have been sold. (how many have read?)

• From Rags to Riches: Rowling is the first Billionaire author in history

The Harry Potter Phenomena

• Seven books = Eight movies. Book seven will be

released in two parts. November 2010 and May 2011

• Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens in the Spring

of 2010 at Universal Orlando

• Undoubtedly, the world’s most successful Children’s

series of all time.

• Translated into 65 different languages

• Why the fuss?

The Characters and Elements of

Harry Potter

• Kids relate to the characters and feel as

if the are growing up alongside them. – The relationships of the characters give the reader an

element of “realism” that brings them into the story

and keeps them hungry for the next book to be

released.

• Kids learn lessons as the characters

learn lessons.

Advances in Printing• During the years of Poor Richard’s

Almanack, printing was done on the Gutenburg Printing Press.

• The Gutenburg Press was used from 1454 until the 1800’s and was more convenient and efficient than manual copying.

• The Gutenburg Press was succeeded by Lord Stanhope in 1800 with a complete cast iron constructed press. However Stanhope’s press still only produced 250 sheets per hour.

Today, when J.K. Rowling prints a new book, it is likely printed on a Printing Press similar to the 2008

Rapida 106 by Koenig & Bauer, which can run off sheets at an amazing 18,000 sheets per minute.

Advances in Printing

References:

http://www.kba-print.de/en/home.html

http://media.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/J._K._Rowling

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/benjamin_franklin_10.html

http://content.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=3578

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/53/07celebrities_JK-Rowling_CRTT.html