Book Anatomy: Ask the book now sits at the top of every book, with example questions · Ask any classic book about the craft that made it great · 50 tools · Updated 16 Oct 2026 · My list

Book Anatomy · All lenses

F3. How many words before the lead appears? Count

Openings and endings. One line per book. Open a book for the full answer, charts and cited lines.

BookGenreResult
Treasure IslandThriller and adventureFirst dialogue after 192 words
The Thirty-Nine StepsThriller and adventureFirst dialogue after 4 words
The Prisoner of ZendaThriller and adventureFirst dialogue after 8 words
Around the World in Eighty DaysThriller and adventureFirst dialogue after 103 words
King Solomon's MinesThriller and adventureFirst dialogue after 5 words
The Hound of the BaskervillesCrime and mysteryFirst dialogue after 3 words
A Study in ScarletCrime and mysteryFirst dialogue after 231 words
The Adventures of Sherlock HolmesCrime and mysteryFirst dialogue after 686 words
The MoonstoneCrime and mysteryFirst dialogue after 1,244 words
The Woman in WhiteCrime and mysteryFirst dialogue after 1,835 words
Pride and PrejudiceRomanceFirst dialogue after 71 words
PersuasionRomanceFirst dialogue after 113 words
EmmaRomanceFirst dialogue after 1,105 words
Jane EyreRomanceFirst dialogue after 118 words
DraculaGothic and horrorFirst dialogue after 122 words
FrankensteinGothic and horrorFirst dialogue after 1,732 words
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr HydeGothic and horrorFirst dialogue after 0 words
The Picture of Dorian GrayGothic and horrorFirst dialogue after 345 words
Wuthering HeightsGothic and horrorFirst dialogue after 116 words
The Turn of the ScrewGothic and horrorFirst dialogue after 619 words
The Time MachineScience fictionFirst dialogue after 132 words
The War of the WorldsScience fictionFirst dialogue after 1,008 words
The Invisible ManScience fictionFirst dialogue after 4 words
Alice's Adventures in WonderlandFantasy and children'sFirst dialogue after 4 words
The Wonderful Wizard of OzFantasy and children'sFirst dialogue after 614 words
The Secret GardenFantasy and children'sFirst dialogue after 374 words
The Wind in the WillowsFantasy and children'sFirst dialogue after 3 words
Great ExpectationsLiteraryFirst dialogue after 37 words
A Christmas CarolLiteraryFirst dialogue after 504 words
The Great GatsbyLiteraryFirst dialogue after 23 words
Heart of DarknessLiteraryFirst dialogue after 531 words
KidnappedThriller and adventureFirst dialogue after 142 words
The Count of Monte CristoThriller and adventureFirst dialogue after 375 words
The Three MusketeersThriller and adventureFirst dialogue after 673 words
The Riddle of the SandsThriller and adventureFirst dialogue after 2 words
The Scarlet PimpernelThriller and adventureFirst dialogue after 1,486 words
The Lost WorldThriller and adventureFirst dialogue after 0 words
Captain BloodThriller and adventureFirst dialogue after 307 words
Lady Audley's SecretCrime and mysteryFirst dialogue after 2,842 words
The Murders in the Rue MorgueCrime and mysteryFirst dialogue after 534 words
The Innocence of Father BrownCrime and mysteryFirst dialogue after 332 words
The Big Bow MysteryCrime and mysteryFirst dialogue after 115 words
The Leavenworth CaseCrime and mysteryFirst dialogue after 2 words
The Red Thumb MarkCrime and mysteryFirst dialogue after 3 words
The Amateur CracksmanCrime and mysteryFirst dialogue after 89 words
The Secret AgentCrime and mysteryFirst dialogue after 1,232 words
Sense and SensibilityRomanceFirst dialogue after 890 words
North and SouthRomanceFirst dialogue after 0 words
Far from the Madding CrowdRomanceFirst dialogue after 778 words
The Enchanted AprilRomanceFirst dialogue after 340 words
The SheikRomanceFirst dialogue after 0 words
Daddy Long LegsRomanceFirst dialogue after 1,364 words
CarmillaGothic and horrorFirst dialogue after 311 words
The Castle of OtrantoGothic and horrorFirst dialogue after 99 words
The Phantom of the OperaGothic and horrorFirst dialogue after 0 words
The Great God PanGothic and horrorFirst dialogue after 2 words
The Yellow WallpaperGothic and horrorFirst dialogue after 236 words
The Call of CthulhuGothic and horrorFirst dialogue after 35 words
The Island of Doctor MoreauScience fictionFirst dialogue after 0 words
Journey to the Centre of the EarthScience fictionFirst dialogue after 206 words
A Princess of MarsScience fictionFirst dialogue after 8,480 words
HerlandScience fictionFirst dialogue after 315 words
FlatlandScience fictionFirst dialogue after 29 words
ErewhonScience fictionFirst dialogue after 3,127 words
The Last ManScience fictionFirst dialogue after 2,565 words
Through the Looking GlassFantasy and children'sFirst dialogue after 237 words
A Little PrincessFantasy and children'sFirst dialogue after 37 words
The Jungle BookFantasy and children'sFirst dialogue after 7 words
Five Children and ItFantasy and children'sFirst dialogue after 2,368 words
The Railway ChildrenFantasy and children'sFirst dialogue after 628 words
The Princess and the GoblinFantasy and children'sFirst dialogue after 25,084 words
Peter and WendyFantasy and children'sFirst dialogue after 3 words
The Worm OuroborosFantasy and children'sFirst dialogue after 90 words
Anne of Green GablesFantasy and children'sFirst dialogue after 149 words
Black BeautyFantasy and children'sFirst dialogue after 274 words
MiddlemarchLiteraryFirst dialogue after 556 words
Tess of the d'UrbervillesLiteraryFirst dialogue after 135 words
Mrs DallowayLiteraryFirst dialogue after 152 words
To the LighthouseLiteraryFirst dialogue after 0 words
Anna KareninaLiteraryFirst dialogue after 314 words
Crime and PunishmentLiteraryFirst dialogue after 304 words
Madame BovaryLiteraryFirst dialogue after 0 words
The Age of InnocenceLiteraryFirst dialogue after 22 words
Silas MarnerLiteraryFirst dialogue after 462 words
Adventures of Huckleberry FinnLiteraryFirst dialogue after 11 words
HamletPlaysFirst dialogue after 0 words
MacbethPlaysFirst dialogue after 751 words
Romeo and JulietPlaysFirst dialogue after 7,654 words
OthelloPlaysFirst dialogue after 62 words
A Midsummer Night's DreamPlaysFirst dialogue after 0 words
Twelfth NightPlaysFirst dialogue after 5,846 words
Doctor FaustusPlaysFirst dialogue after 3,678 words
The Importance of Being EarnestPlaysFirst dialogue after 0 words
A Doll's HousePlaysFirst dialogue after 2,546 words
Hedda GablerPlaysFirst dialogue after 4,036 words
PygmalionPlaysFirst dialogue after 1,647 words
The School for ScandalPlaysFirst dialogue after 3,116 words
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