Now All We Need Is a Title

Titles catch the eye and remain in the imagination, but their origins and meanings can be lost. This collection by Andre Bernard offers brief explanations of several dozen famous book titles. One anecdote will give an idea: Somerset Maugham noted that people complimented his titles but often didn't know what they meant. In the case of The Moon and Sixpence, he said, "It means reaching for the moon and missing the sixpence at one's feet."