While chatting in IRC today with Chris Dent (a new co-worker at Socialtext), I mentioned that about 15 years ago I once bought a book solely because upon reading the first sentence in the bookstore I noticed the word “obstreperously.” Now, I had read a few of this author’s books before, so I was generally familiar with his work. But seeing that first sentence (describing a party of a group of Marines) piqued my interest.
Less than a minute later, I was able to show Chris a picture of the exact page I was talking about. It’s here. (It’s from The Great Santini for those who care.)
Here’s a snippet:
It then dawned on me that what had just happened was really pretty remarkable. Sometimes you just have to take a step back to appreciate the magic that is technology. (Hat tip to Arthur C. Clarke for that.)
Rick, In a related vein, Nancy Pearl has a new book out on "Famous First Words" that talks about books that have great opening lines that make you want to read the rest. She was interviewed on NPR recently, and their website lists a number of examples (http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=3894040). Your obstreperous isn't among them.
ReplyDelete