Erma Louise Bombeck (21 February, 1927 – 22 April, 1996) was an American writer, columnist, author and humorist. Ms. Bombeck’s newspaper column, which described suburban life, was very popular for decades.

Israel Zangwill was a British writer and humorist who dedicated his life to causes of the oppressed, from women’s suffrage to Jewish emancipation.

Charles Dickens (7 February, 1812 – 9 June, 1870), prolific English author, is known to this day as the quintessential Victorian author.

Norman Mailer (31 January, 1923 – 10 November, 2004) was an American author, journalist, playwright, actor, film maker and political activist.

Edith Wharton (24 January, 1862 – 11 August, 1937) was an award winning American writer and designer.

January 17 is the birthday of one of the most famous man in American History, Benjamin Franklin ( 17 January, 1706 – 17 April, 1790). I read Benjamin Franklin’s Biography by Walter Isaacson a few years ago and it is, to this day, a favorite of mine. Many people know that Mr. Franklin was a printer, but here are a few interesting facts about his printing career and love of books & libraries.

Robinson Jeffers (January 10, 1887 – January 20, 1962) was a poet from California who is considered today an icon of the environmental movement. Jeffers’ was born in Allegheny, PA which is now a part of Pittsburgh. He began to learn Greek at the age of 5. His father, an Old Testament Literature and Biblical History professor at Western Theology Seminary, sent him to study in European schools including at Zurich, Leipzig and Geneva. Most of Jeffers’ poems were written in epic or narrative form. While going to graduate school at the University of Southern California he met his future wife, Una Call Kuster, in a class on Faust. Jeffers’ was admitted to medical school. After his marriage, Jeffers’ moved to Carmel, CA. Jeffers’ didn’t like what has become of the world and how self centered human beings were. Jeffers coined the word inhumanism, the belief that mankind is too self-centered and too indifferent to the “astonishing beauty of things.” During the 1930s and 40s Jeffers’ patriotism was called into question due to references to current events and leading figures. Jeffers’ poems have been translated to many languages but they are most popular in the Czech Republic and Japan. Zohar…

J.R.R. Tolkien (3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor. He also wrote some fantasy books as well.

Louis Bromfield (27 December, 1896 – 18 March, 1956) was a prolific American writer and a pioneer of farming concepts.

T.F. Powys (20 December, 1875 – 27 November, 1953) was an English writer and poet.