Twenty-five-year-old Norman Mailer’s first novel, The Naked and
the Dead, was published on May 4, 1948. The book is critically
acclaimed and widely considered one of the best novels to
come out of World War II.
Norman Kingsley Mailer (1923 – 20007)
Joanne Rowling, better known by her pen name J. K. Rowling,
is a British author and philanthropist. She wrote Harry Potter,
a seven-volume children’s fantasy series published from 1997
to 2007. The series has sold over 500 million copies, been
translated into at least 70 languages, and spawned a global
media franchise including films and video games. The Casual
Vacancy (2012) was her first novel for adults. She writes
Cormoran Strike, an ongoing crime fiction series, as Robert
Galbraith.
February 1, 1884: The first portion, or fascicle, of the Oxford
English Dictionary (OED), considered the most comprehensive
and accurate dictionary of the English language, was published.
Today, the OED is the definitive authority on the meaning,
pronunciation and history
of over half a million English words, past and present.
A first edition copy of “Dracula” signed by Bram Stoker.
The first copies of the classic vampire novel Dracula, by Irish writer Bram
Stoker, appeared in London bookshops.
A childhood invalid, Stoker grew up to become a football (soccer) star at
Trinity College, Dublin. After graduation, he got a job in civil service at
Dublin Castle, where he worked for the next 10 years while writing drama
reviews for the Dublin Mail on the side. In this way, Stoker met the well-
respected actor Sir Henry Irving, who hired him as his manager. Stoker
stayed in the post for most of the next three decades, writing Irving’s
voluminous correspondence for him and accompanying him on tours
in the United States. Over the years, Stoker began writing a number of
horror stories for magazines, and in 1890 he published his first novel,
The Snake’s Pass. Stoker would go on to publish 17 novels in all
Abraham "Bram" Stoker
(November 8, 1847 – April 20, 1912)
Moby-Dick is now considered a great classic of American literature and
contains one of the most famous opening lines in fiction: “Call me Ishmael.” Initially, though, the book about Captain Ahab and his quest to catch a giant
white whale was a flop.
Its author, Herman Melville was born in New York City in 1819. As a young
man, he spent time in the merchant marines, the U.S. Navy and on a whaling
ship in the South Seas. In 1846, he published his first novel, Typee, a
romantic adventure based on his experiences in Polynesia. The book was
a success and a sequel, Omoo, was published in 1847. Three more novels
followed, with mixed critical and commercial results.
Herman Melville (Melvill) (August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891)
