The book was written by a famous author.

"Past tense" is used in connection with actions in the past.

In past years, I have traveled to many different countries.

In the past year, I have traveled to five different countries.

It's not healthy to dwell on the past.

I go past the park every morning on my way to work.

It's a quarter past nine.

In the distant past, people relied on hunting and gathering for survival.

I have been studying every day for the past week.

The students participated in the march-past during the school's annual sports day.