1. Willy Wonka and the Lithium Ion Battery – Roald Dahl
While the well-known classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory takes us on a journey through Wonka’s mysterious world, the original story details Willy Wonka’s monopolization of the rechargeable battery industry. In this rough draft, Chinese preteens, rather than the beloved Oompa Loompas, help run the factory.
2. The Life of Rye – Yann Martel
It is little-known that the author of The Life of Pi, Yann Martel, was a huge fan of the reuben sandwich. In his original draft of the novel, a young boy becomes lost at sea floating helpless on a piece of rye bread. What joins him on this journey, you might ask? That’s right, a bottle of thousand island dressing that refuses to share any sauce.
3. Ford of the Flies – William Golding
Although the world-famous Lord of the Flies has nothing to do with actual flies, the first draft has everything to do with flies. In Ford of the Flies, a group of hard-working flies pool their money together to finance a brand new 0% APR 1954 Ford Crestline.
4. The Adventures of Tom’s Lawyer – Mark Twain
Although The Adventures of Tom Sawyer describes Tom’s fictional mischief, the original novel recounts the court proceedings after Tom allegedly commits vehicular manslaughter. However, Tom was acquitted rather abruptly, after Tom’s lawyer points out that fact cars do not exist yet.
5. 84 – George Orwell
Although George Orwell’s famous novel takes place in a dystopian 1984, his original story is set exactly 84 years after Jesus’ crucifixion. In this draft, we follow Pontius Pilate’s son struggling to fill his father’s shoes, believing he could never put someone to death as famous as Jesus. Surprisingly, however, he manages to pull it off.