The Book Lover's Almanac A Year of Literary Events, Letters, Scandals and Plot Twists

Enjoy daily distraction with this engaging Almanac.

Each date is assigned one or more literary connections. Book lovers will find extracts from authors’ diaries and letters, chance upon the narrative twists and transformative moments in their favorite novels, discover the winners of prestigious awards and losers of creative squabbles, and the delivery of manuscript, first publication and performance.

The book draws on the incredible collections of the British Library to find new, surprising and entertaining ways to celebrate every day of the year. Each month opens with a list of significant births and closes with a selection of pertinent last words, while entries roam across history from the great classics to modern authors.

Alex Johnson is the author of titles about art, music, sheds, and books on books including for the British Library, A Book of Book Lists (2017), Shelf Life (2018), Edward Lear and the Pussycat: Famous Writers and their Pets (2019), How to Give Your Child A Lifelong Love of Reading (2020), and The Book Lover’s Joke Book (2022).