The most significant events in the history of books on the 12th of November 1615: Richard Baxter is born. This English Puritan theologian and poet was a noted hymn-writer – he wrote the words for the hymn ‘Ye Holy Angels Bright’ among others, and is mentioned by George Eliot in The […]
Interesting William Burroughs facts: concerning his life, his work, and his links with other writers 1. Before he became a famous novelist, William S. Burroughs worked in pest-control as an exterminator. Many writers started out in somewhat surprising jobs. Douglas Adams was a bodyguard to a Middle Eastern family of […]
The most significant events in the history of books on the 11th of November 1821: Fyodor Dostoevsky is born. In 1849, he was sentenced to death by firing squad. At the very last minute the sentence was commuted to four years’ hard labour. At the time he was still an aspiring […]
The pubs and bars where famous authors hung out, got drunk, and discussed their writing We were recently sent this fantastic infographic, ‘7 Famous Literary Bars You Should Visit’, courtesy of Assignment Masters, and thought it was well worth sharing. It vividly and beautifully details some of the favourite watering […]
The most significant events in the history of books on the 10th of November 1619: René Descartes has the dreams that inspire his Meditations on First Philosophy. 1624: Henry Wriothesley (believed to have been pronounced ‘rizzly’), 3rd Earl of Southampton, dies. He is the dedicatee of Shakespeare’s Venus and Adonis and The […]