Ann Ryand's Anthem which says, if memory serves me right (it doesn't generally), "This is a sin to write" or some such thing.
s/Ann Ryand/Ayn Rand/; "It is a sin to write this." (Anthem) "Howard Roark laughed." (The Fountainhead) "Petrograd smelt of carbolic acid." (We The Living) and possibly the most well-known first line from a novel ever: "Who is John Galt?" (Atlas Shrugged) Rand was also not a native english speaker. And some more missing first lines: "The Deliverator belongs to an elite order, a hallowed subcategory." (Snow Crash) "The bells of St. Mark's were ringing changes up on the mountain when Bud skated over to the mod parlor to upgrade his skull gun." (The Diamond Age) #!
