Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Nevil Shute isn't just an author: the dude had a successful career as an aircraft engineer before he even started setting pen to paper. (Source)
Not everyone was pleased with On the Beach. The American government took an overly literal mindset and critiqued the book on the grounds that there actually wasn't enough nuclear weaponry in existence to destroy the planet. (Source)
Although plenty of people were big fans of the film adaptation of On the Beach, Nevil Shute was less than pleased with the results. Some even attribute his early death to stress caused by this beef. (Source)