Celebrate this month’s literary holidays with Open Book Chocolates!
Public Domain Day | January 1st
“Public Domain Day (PDD) is an observance of when copyrights expire and works enter into the public domain. This legal transition of copyright works into the public domain usually happens every year on January 1 based on the individual copyright laws of each country.”
Here’s a selection of books entering the public domain:
National Science Fiction Day | January 2nd
Isaac Asimov’s Birthday | January 2nd, 1920
“National Science Fiction Day is unofficially celebrated by many science fiction fans in the United States on January 2, which corresponds with the official birthdate of famed science fiction writer Isaac Asimov.”
Purchase Foundation by Isaac Asimov while supporting independent bookstores.
J. R. R. Tolkien’s Birthday | January 3rd, 1892
“When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton.“ —The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien
Purchase The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien while supporting independent bookstores.
Wilkie Collins’s Birthday | January 8th, 1824
“Any woman who is sure of her own wits, is a match, at any time, for a man who is not sure of his own temper.“ —The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
Here at Open Book Chocolates, we’re huge fans of the underrated Victorian novelist Wilkie Collins! Collins was close friends with Charles Dickens and his works were serialized in Dickens journals. While Collins is best known for his masterpieces The Woman in White (1859) and The Moonstone (1868), he wrote over twenty novels in addition to an impressive number of short stories and plays. His works are classified as “sensation novels,” a literary genre that’s considered the precursor to detective and suspense fiction. We’d like to introduce you to some of our favorite of Collins works:
Anne Brontë’s Birthday | January 17th, 1820
“All novels are, or should be, written for both men and women to read, and I am at loss to conceive how a man should permit himself to write anything that would be really disgraceful to a woman, or why a woman should be censured for writing anything that would be proper and becoming for a man.“ —The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
Continuing this month’s theme of underrated authors, we’re excited to celebrate Anne Brontë’s birthday. While not as acclaimed as her sisters Charlotte and Emily, we believe Anne’s novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is just as worthy as Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights.
Edgar Allan Poe’s Birthday | January 19th, 1809
“The Raven” Publication Date | January 1845
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.—The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
Open Book Chocolates is celebrating Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday with The Complete Tales & Poems of Edgar Allan Poe and our matching chocolate bar.
Library Shelfie Day | January 22nd
“Every year on the fourth Wednesday of January, library staff, readers, and book lovers share selfies of themselves in front of library shelves. It's a small, but fun way to show off beautiful books and share your love of libraries and the written word.“
How to Celebrate Library Shelfie Day:
Visit your local library!
Find your favorite book or bring a book you’re currently reading.
Find a shelf of books that stands out to you or that you particularly like.
Take a “shelfie” in front of your book shelf while holding up your book of choice!
Edith Wharton’s Birthday | January 24th, 1862
“It frightened him to think what must have gone to the making of her eyes.“ —The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Purchase The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton while supporting independent bookstores.
Virginia Woolf’s Birthday | January 25th, 1882
“A whole lifetime was too short to bring out, the full flavour; to extract every ounce of pleasure, every shade of meaning.“ —Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Purchase Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf while supporting independent bookstores.
Lewis Carroll’s Birthday | January 27th, 1832
“The Queen had only one way of settling all difficulties, great or small. 'Off with his head!' she said, without even looking round.“ —Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Open Book Chocolates is celebrating Lewis Carroll’s birthday with his literary masterpiece and our matching chocolate bar.
Pride and Prejudice Publication Day | January 28th, 1813
“‘If a woman is partial to a man, and does not endeavour to conceal it, he must find it out.’“ —Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen