Five "Lost" Pieces of Literature

To say these were "lost" is not entirely accurate, it best describes how, in one way or another, these potentially great works never came to be or have vanished.

1. The Mysterious Stranger by Mark Twain
Perhaps one of the most intriguing premises of all Twain's works, this book was to tell the tale of a young Satan who initially lives a sinless life in an Austrian village. After three attempts, Twain abandoned work on the novel and whatever portions already written were never discovered.

2. Everything by Hemingway Prior to 1922
Ernest Hemingway's wife, Hadley, was traveling around Europe and among her luggage was a large trunk filled with all of his writings up until that point (including an entire novel about his experiences in WWI). The luggage was stolen and never located. It could still be out there somewhere.

3. The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens
Not much is known about this novel except that it was supposedly going to be written in typical Dickens style -- plenty of colorful characters and events. The only person who knew what was going to be in it was Queen Victoria, who received an early draft of the first few chapters of the work. Apparently the Queen loved what she read -- so much so that even though Dickens told her that he would reveal the ending to her if she so desired, she insisted upon waiting for the finished book. Dickens died shortly thereafter not having completed even a draft.

4. Double Exposure by Sylvia Plath
When Plath died, she left behind an almost completed novel titled Double Exposure. Plath's estranged husband, Ted Hughes, destroyed it (supposedly she said some very unflattering things about him in the work).

5. Most of Aristotle's Works
Aristotle remains one of the most influential philosophers of all time and yet we only have about one-third of all the works he wrote. Lost either to the ravages of time, losses of libraries, or just uncaring guardians, the nature of these missing pieces remains a frustrating mystery. Aristotle's thinking has impacted the world in various, significant ways. To think that just one-third of his writings could achieve this influence is as impressive as it is disheartening. What could the other two-thirds have taught us?