Why did Bill Watterson name Calvin after the reformer, John Calvin and Hobbes after the philosopher Thomas Hobbes?

It is often said that many of the English translations of Jules Verne are not of very good quality. What are considered to be the best English translations of works of Jules Verne?

''...it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and shortwinded elations of men.'' The narrator says he lost interest in 'abortive sorrows' and 'shortwinded elations of men'. What do these phrases ...

I'm visiting my girl this week (long-distance relationship, different country) and at some point she told me about being a big fan of Anna Karenina. However, the copy she had read was old and falling apart, so it lacked one specific scene of her favourite character which was very disappointing to...