Do you love reading? Books, poetry, essays or any research material, your topic of choice may differ but reading is such a great hobby. And to honour those who work hard and write the books, papers or poems that we enjoy reading, a National Authors' Day is marked every year on November 1. If you are a writer then take pride about this observance. National Authors' Day is marked annually in the US as a mark of respect and honour to all great writers and their literary works. On this day, let us know more about the history and significance of this observance. From The Great Gatsby to Harry Potter, 5 Popular Books of All Times That You Must Read!

National Authors' Day History and Significance

The idea to dedicate a day to American authors came up in 1928 from Nellie Verne Burt McPherson, president of the Bement, Illinois Women’s Club. She was a teacher, and throughout her life, an avid reader. While she was recuperating in the hospital during World War I, she wrote a fan letter to fiction writer, Irving Bacheller and expressed how much she enjoyed reading his book Eben Holden’s Last Day A’ Fishin. And much to her surprise Bacheller sent her a book with autographed copy. She then decided to show the appreciation by submitting an idea for a National Author’s Day to the General Federation of Women’s Clubs.

In the year 1929, the club endorsed a resolution for National Author’s Day to be observed honoring American writers. This day was later recognized by the The United States Department of Commerce in 1949. A World Book and Copyright Day is a similar observance that promotes reading and good authors.

The whole idea of this observance is to appreciate the good authors and promoting the idea of reading amongst everyone. People often buy books of their favourite authors today and celebrate it. Avid readers come together and discuss their favourite books and mark this day. If you are a great reader and enjoy reading then you should definitely observe this day.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 31, 2020 08:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).