It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

Opening Hooks is a new web site which allows you to rank the first few lines of many classic novels and contribute your own favorites:

What makes a great opening hook comes down to you, the reader. Think of your favorite books, chances are what you remember most is the ending. A book with a great ending needs a great beginning, the opening hook has to capture your attention, but everything after that has to keep you hooked. Take a look at your bookshelf, pull out a couple of your favorites and open up to that first page. Try to remember how you felt the first time you read it. Then add it to the database.