The book even explores functional literary history, such as the invention of alphabetical order to organize libraries.
Posteguillo reflects on writers rejected by their contemporaries who only found recognition long after death.
Posteguillo, a tenured professor of literature, applies a "teaching-through-storytelling" approach. His methodology is characterized by:
Many chapters highlight works that were nearly lost, such as the Gestapo’s attempts to suppress Franz Kafka or the eight-year-old girl who saved Harry Potter from rejection.