After taking his home country by storm with the Millennium trilogy, Swedish author Stieg Larsson went on to capture the imagination of the rest of the world. Hardcore fans, of which there are thousands-maybe even more-need no further introduction. However, even if you haven't read his books, you have probably heard of them anyway, as successful movie versions have already been created. The latest release, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, specifically the American version with Daniel Craig top billing as Mikael Blomkvist, has proven itself a box office hit.

Stieg Larsson may have known that his books would be successful, but he probably had no idea about the actual magnitude their fame would achieve. After all, with only three books published out of the several he had in mind, he has already gained worldwide acclaim.