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TODAY IN LITERARY HISTORY: November 30 Happy Birthday to John Bunyan (born 1628)

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 John Bunyan was an English preacher and writer whose enduring reputation rests on The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678), one of the most influential works in the history of Christian and English literature. Written in plain yet powerful prose, the book presents an allegorical journey of faith that has resonated with readers for more than three centuries. Composed largely during Bunyan’s twelve-year imprisonment for preaching without official approval, The Pilgrim’s Progress became a publishing phenomenon, read across social classes and translated into dozens of languages. Its narrative structure, vivid symbolism, and moral clarity influenced generations of writers and secured Bunyan a lasting place in both literary and religious history. Fun Fact: Bunyan’s jailer was unusually lenient, allowing him access to books, writing materials, and even supervised visits home—conditions that made one of literary history’s most famous prison-written works possible. “Then I saw in my dream, that the m...
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TODAY IN LITERARY HISTORY 1864: Lewis Carroll delivers the handwritten manuscript of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ to Alice Liddell.

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 On November 26, 1864, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson—known to the world as Lewis Carroll—gave Alice Liddell the handwritten manuscript of the story he had first improvised during a July 1862 boat ride near Oxford. Published in 1865 with John Tenniel’s celebrated illustrations, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland became one of the most culturally influential works of children’s literature, inspiring generations of writers, artists, and scholars. Few works in English literature have inspired publishers as deeply as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Since 1865, the book has been a showcase for artistic innovation: deluxe Victorian gift editions, Golden Age illustrated versions, Art Nouveau and Art Deco interpretations, and a long tradition of fine-press and private-press printings. Printers have used Alice to display mastery of illustration, type design, paper choice, and binding craft. From Tenniel’s original wood engravings to modern letterpress editions, the story’s imaginative elasticity ...
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TODAY IN LITERARY HISTORY: November 24 Happy Birthday Dale Carnegie (1888–1955)

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  Dale Carnegie reshaped modern ideas about communication, persuasion, and personal success. His landmark book ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ (1936) became one of the best-selling nonfiction titles of all time and remains a foundational text in leadership, business culture, and personal development. Carnegie believed that understanding human nature — truly listening, showing genuine interest, and offering encouragement — was the key to transforming both personal and professional relationships. His Carnegie Courses, launched in the early 1910s, helped everyday people overcome fear, speak confidently, and motivate others. The influence of his work ripple through corporate training, public speaking programs, and motivational literature to this day. Did You Know? • Before becoming a global figure, Carnegie grew up on a Missouri farm and practiced speeches while milking cows. • His first big break came when he taught public speaking at a YMCA — without prepared lessons. He si...
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TODAY IN LITERARY HISTORY: November 22 George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), born 1819

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    Today we celebrate the birth of George Eliot, the pen name of Mary Ann Evans—one of the most influential novelists of the Victorian era and a writer whose psychological depth and moral insight remain unmatched. Evans adopted the name George Eliot in 1856 to ensure her work would be taken seriously in a male-dominated publishing world. The strategy worked: within a few years, she became the most respected novelist in Britain, admired by readers and fellow writers alike. Her early novels, including Adam Bede and The Mill on the Floss, established her as a powerful interpreter of provincial life. But it was Middlemarch (1871–72)—her masterpiece—that secured her reputation for all time. Virginia Woolf famously called it “one of the few English novels written for grown-up people,” praising Eliot’s ability to explore the intertwined lives, motives, and moral struggles of her characters with unparalleled subtlety. Eliot’s work blends realism, compassion, and philosophical inquiry...
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 Happy Birthday to Alan Moore (born 1953),  one of the most influential voices in modern graphic literature. Alan Moore is widely regarded as one of the greatest graphic novelists of all time—a writer whose work transformed comics into a serious literary art form. His landmark creations Watchmen, V for Vendetta, From Hell, and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen reshaped both the industry and popular culture. Hollywood embraced his stories, though Moore famously rejected all film adaptations and declined royalties, insisting they be given to the artists he worked with—a testament to his fierce creative integrity. A mentor and inspiration to later storytellers such as Neil Gaiman, Damon Lindelof, and Joss Whedon, Moore pushed the boundaries of narrative form, character psychology, and world-building. Did You Know? • A practicing ceremonial magician, Moore has often described writing as a form of magic—turning thoughts into reality. • He once legally declared himself a wizard....
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TODAY IN LITERARY HISTORY: November 16 Celebrating Chinua Achebe (1930–2013),  Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic.   Born Albert Chinualumogu Achebe, he was given the name Albert after Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert—a mark of British colonial convention. In time, Achebe shed that name, reclaiming his Igbo heritage by adopting Chinua, derived from a traditional prayer meaning “May God fight on my behalf.” His debut novel, Things Fall Apart (1958), drew its title from W. B. Yeats’s poem “The Second Coming.” The book revolutionized African literature, presenting the collision between traditional Igbo society and European colonialism through the tragic story of Okonkwo. It remains the most widely read modern African novel, translated into more than fifty languages. Achebe was also an outspoken critic of imperialist depictions of Africa in Western literature. His famous essay “An Image of Africa” condemned Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness as the work of a “blo...
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 TODAY IN LITERARY HISTORY: November 13 Remembering Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 – 1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, and poet Robert Louis Stevenson gave readers some of the most enduring adventure and horror tales ever written—from Treasure Island to The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. But here’s a birthday story unlike any other. While living in Samoa, Stevenson learned that the 12-year-old daughter of Henry Clay Ide, the U.S. Commissioner to Samoa, had been born on Christmas Day and disliked sharing her birthday with the holiday. In an act of generosity perfectly in character, Stevenson legally transferred his own birthday, November 13, to her. His letter of 1891 reads in part: “I… Have transferred, and do hereby transfer to the said A. H. Ide, all and whole of my rights and privileges in the 13th day of November, formerly my birthday, now, hereby, and henceforth, the birthday of the said A. H. Ide…” What a remarkable gift—from a man who gave the world so many others. ...
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