J. Edgar Hoover (1895-1972) was born in Washington, DC on January 1, 1895.

E.M. [Edward Morgan] Forster (1879-1970) was born in London, ENG on January 1, 1879. Read Orrin's reviews of A Passage to India (1924)(Grade: B) and Aspects of the Novel (1927)(Grade: A-)

Shelby Steele (1946-) was born on January 1, 1946. Read Orrin's review of The Content of Our Character: A New Vision of Race in America (1990)

J.D. [Jerome David] Salinger (1919-) was born in New York, NY on January 1, 1919. Read Orrin's reviews of The Catcher in the Rye (1951)(Grade: A+) and Franny and Zooey (1961)(Grade: A+)

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 B.C.-43 BC) was born at Arpinum on January 3, 106 B.C.

J. Edgar Hoover (1895-1972) was born in Washington, DC on January 1, 1895.

Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) was born on January 2, 1920. Read Orrin's review of The Foundation Trilogy (Grade: A-)

J.R.R. [John Ronald Reuel ] Tolkein (1892-1973) was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa on January 3, 1892. Read Orrin's review ofThe Lord of the Rings [The Hobbit (1937), The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King (1948)](J.R.R. [John Ronald Reuel] Tolkien 1892-1973) (Grade: A+)

Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727) was born in Woolsthorpe, ENG on January 4, 1643.

Jakob (Ludwig Karl) Grimm (1785-1863) was born in Hanau, GER on January 4, 1785. There's an interesting Red Riding Hood site online.

Robert Duvall(1931-) was born in San Diego, CA on January 5, 1931. Brothers Judd particularly recommends his less well known star turn in Tender Mercies (1983) The Apostle (1997) (directed by Robert Duvall 1931-)

Umberto Eco (1932-) was born in Allessandria, Italy on January 5, 1932. Brothers Judd recommends his medieval mystery The Name of the Rose (1981)

Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) was born in Galesburg, IL on January 6, 1878. He won the 1939 Pulitzer Prize for his biography of Abraham Lincoln but was first and foremost a poet; seven books of Sandburg's poems are available through a Univ. of Md. site

E.L. [Edgar Lawrence] Doctorow (1931-) was born in New York City, NY on January 6, 1931. Read Orrin's reviews of Welcome to Hard Times (1960)(Grade: C+) &Ragtime (1975)(Grade: A) & Billy Bathgate (1989)(Grade: C)

Wright Morris (1910-98) was born in Central City, NE on January 6, 1910.

Joan of Arc (1412-31) was born in Domrémy, France on January 6, 1412

Zora Neale Hurston (1903-60) was born in Eatonville, FL on January 7, 1903. Read Orrin's review of Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937)(Grade: B)

William Peter Blatty (1928-) was born in New York, NY on January 7, 1928. Read Orrin's review of The Exorcist (1971)(Grade: A+)

Wilkie Collins (1824-99) was born in London, ENG on January 8, 1824. He penned one of the seminal mysteries in The Moonstone

Elvis Presley (1935-77), one of the Brothers Judd 10 Greatest Cultural Figures of the 20th Century, was born in Tupelo, MS on January 8, 1935. Read Orrin's review of Last Train to Memphis : The Rise of Elvis Presley (1994) (Peter Guralnick) (Grade: A)

Stephen Hawking (1942-) was born in Oxfordshire, ENG on January 8, 1942. Brothers Judd recommends his bestselling A Brief History of Time: From Big Bang to Black Holes (1988)

Karel Capek (1890-1938) was born on January 9, 1890. Read Orrin's review of Tales from Two Pockets (1932)(Grade: B+)

Richard Milhous Nixon (1913-94) was born in Yorba Linda, CA on January 9, 1913. Brothers Judd recommends the excellent Roger Morris biography: Richard Milhous Nixon: The Rise of an American Politician

John Dunning (1942-) was born in Brooklyn, NY on January 9, 1942. Read Orrin's review of Booked to Die (1992)

Ethan Allen (1738-1789) was born in Litchfield, CT on January 10, 1738.

Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962) was born in Pittsburgh, PA on January 10, 1887.

Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804) was born on the island of Nevis, British West Indies on January 11, 1757. Read Orrin's review of Alexander Hamilton, American (1999)

Alan Paton (1903-88) was born in Pietermartizburg, South Africa on January 11, 1903.

William James (1842-1910) was born in New York, NY on January 11, 1842. Read Orrin's review of The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902).

Aldo Leopold (1887-) was born in Burlington, IA on January 11, 1887

John Singer Sargent (1856-) was born in Florence, Italy on January 12, 1856.

Walter Mosley (1952-1925) was born in Los Angeles, CA on January 12, 1952. Read Orrin's review of Workin' on the Chain Gang: Shaking off the Dead Hand of History (2000).

Edmund Burke (1729-97) was born in Dublin, IRE on January 12, 1729. Read Orrin's review of Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790)(Grade: A+)

Jack London (1876-1916) was born in San Francisco, CA on January 12, 1876. Read Orrin's reviews of The Call of the Wild (1903) (Grade: A) and The Sea Wolf (1904)(Grade: A-)

Horatio Alger (1834-99) was born in Revere, MA on January 13, 1834. Read Orrin's review of Ragged Dick or, Street Life in New York (1868)(Grade: B)

Albert Lamorisse was born in Paris, France on January 13, 1922. The Brothers Judd recommend his film, The Red Balloon [Le Ballon Rouge] (1956) (directed by Albert Lamorisse 1922-70)

Jay McInerney (1955-) was born on January 13, 1955. Read Orrin's reviews of Bright Lights, Big City (1984)(Grade: A) and Ransom (1985)(Grade: B-)

Anchee Min (1957-) was born in Shanghai, China on January 14, 1957. Brothers Judd has reviewed several of her books.

John Dos Passos (1896-1970) was born in Chicago, IL on January 14, 1896. Read Orrin's review of The USA Trilogy (1930-36)(Grade: C)

Yukio Mishima [Kimitake Hiraoka] (1925-1970) was born in Tokyo, Japan on January 14, 1925. Read Orrin's review of The Sailor who Fell from the Grace with the Sea (1963)(Grade: C)

Frank Conroy (1936-) was born in New York, NY on January 15, 1936.

Ernest J. Gaines (1933-) was born in Pointe Coupee Parish, LA on January 15, 1933. Read Orrin's review of A Lesson Before Dying (1993)(Grade: A)

The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-68) was born in Atlanta, GA on January 15, 1929. He was named one of the Brothers Judd 10 Greatest Cultural figures of the 20th Century. Read Orrin's review of Dreamer: A Novel (1998)(Charles R. Johnson 1948-) (Grade: C)

Jean Baptiste Poquelin Moliere (1622-) was baptised on January 15, 1622.

Osip Mandelstam (1891-1938) was born in Warsaw, Poland on January 15, 1891.

William Kennedy (1928-) was born in Albany, NY on January 16, 1928. Read Orrin's review of Ironweed (1983).

Susan Sontag was born in New York, NY on January 16, 1933. Read Orrin's review of Where the Stress Falls (2001).

Gavin Bryars (1943-) was born in Goole, ENG on January 16, 1943. Read Orrin's review of Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet (1993) (Gavin Bryars 1943-)

Robert W. Service (1874-1958) was born in England on January 16, 1874.

Diane Fossey (1932-85) was born in Fairfax, CA on January 16, 1932. Brothers Judd recommends Woman in the Mists: The Story of Dian Fossey and the Mountain Gorillas of Africa (Farley Mowat)

Norman Podhoretz was born in Brooklyn, NY on January 16, 1930. Brothers Judd recommends My Love Affair With America: The Cautionary Tale of a Cheerful Conservative (2000) (Norman Podhoretz 1930-)

Marilyn Horne (1934-) was born in Bradford, PA on January 16, 1934

Jerome Herman "Dizzy" Dean (1911-74) was born in Lucas, AR on January 16, 1911.

Benjamin Franklin (1706-90) was born in on January 17, 1706. He wrote one of the first great books by an American: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Charles Brockden Brown (1771-1810) was born in Philadelphia, PA on January 17, 1771. Read Orrin's review of Wieland; or the Transformation: An American Tale (1798)(Grade: A)

A.A. (Alan Alexander) Milne (1882-1956) was born in London, ENG on January 18, 1882. Read Orrin's review of The Red House Mystery (1922)(Grade: C+)

Daniel Webster (1782-1852) was born in Salisbury, NH on January 18, 1782.

Patricia Highsmith (1921-95) was born in Fort Worth, TX on January 19, 1921. We've reviewed several of her novels.

Paul Cezanne (1839-) was born in Aix-en-Provence, France on January 19, 1839

Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849) was born in Boston, MA on January 19, 1809. Read Orrin's review of The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838)(Edgar Allan Poe 1809-1849)(Grade: A-)

Robert E. Lee (1807-70) was born in Stratford, VA on January 19, 1807.

David Lynch (1946) was born in Missoula, MT on January 20, 1946. Read Orrin's review of The Straight Story (1999)

Johannes Jensen (1873-1950), the 1944 Nobel Laureate, was born in Farso, DEN on January 20, 1873.

Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter (1885-1949) was born in Mooringsport, LA on January 21, 1885.

Happy Birthday to Mark McCormick (January 22)

Lord George Gordon Noel Byron (1788-1824) was born In London, ENG on January 22, 1788. Brothers Judd recommends Childe Harold's Pilgrimage (1812)

Derek Walcott (1930-), 1992 Nobel Prize Laureate, was born in Castries, Saint Lucia on January 23, 1930.

Jean-Baptiste "Django" Reinhardt (1910-53) was born in Liberchies, Belgium on January 23, 1910. In 1934 he formed the famous quintet the Hot Club of France with violinist Stephane Grappelli. Dryfoos recommends: Django with his American Friends, especially the 4 cuts he made with Benny Carter and Coleman Hawkins in the mid-30's. Carter provided the arrangements and some nice work on alto and trumpet; Hawkins has a great solo in each of the tunes. Although Django doesn't solo much on these tracks, his distinctive sound and sense of swing absolutely propel the session.

Edouard Manet (1832-) was born in Paris, FR on January 23, 1832.

Edith Wharton (1862-1937) was born in New York, NY on January 24, 1862. See Orrin's reviews of The House of Mirth (1905)(Grade: B+), Ethan Frome (1911) (Grade: A) and The Age of Innocence (1920)(Grade: A)

Hadrian (76-) was born in Seville, Spain on January 24, 76.

Robert Burns (1759-1796) was born in Alloway, Scotland on January 25, 1759.

W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) was born on January 25, 1874. Read Orrin's reviews of Of Human Bondage (1915) (Grade: F)(#66 on the Modern Library Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century) and The Moon and Sixpence (1919) (Grade: C+)

Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) was born in London, ENG on January 25, 1882. Read Orrin's review of To the Lighthouse (1927)(Grade: F) and A Room of One's Own (1929)(Grade: C+)

Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964) was born in Little Rock, AR on January 26, 1880. Brothers Judd recommends William Manchester's bio American Caesar

Paul Newman (1925-) was born in Shaker Heights, OH on January 26, 1925. Brothers Judd particularly recommends: Harper (1966), Cool Hand Luke (1967), The Sting (1973), and The Verdict (1982)

Donna (Donnabelle Mullenger) Reed (1921-86) was born in Denison, IA on January 27, 1921.

Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson)(1832-1898), our Grandfather's favorite author, was born in Daresbury, ENG on January 27, 1832. Many of his works are available online, but every library should have his Collected Works.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-91) was born in Salzburg, Austria on January 27, 1756

Colette (Sidonie-Gabrielle) (1873-1954) was born in Saint-Saveur-en Puisaye, Burgundy, France on January 28, 1873.

Thomas Paine (1737-1809) was born January 29, 1737.

Romain Rolland (1866-1945) was born in Nievre, on January 29, 1866.

Edward Abbey (1927-1989) was born in Home, PA on January 29, 1927. Read Orrin's review of The Brave Cowboy: an Old Tale in a New Time (1956)(Grade: B+)

Anton Chekov (1860-1904) was born in Taganrog, Crimea, Russia on January 29, 1860. Brothers Judd recommends He and She and Other Stories 1880-82 : The Complete Short Stories of Anton Chekhov (Vol 1) (Anton Chekhov 1860-1904) (translated by Peter Sekirin)

William McKinley (1843-1901) was born in Niles, OH on January 29, 1843.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) was born in Hyde Park, NY on January 30, 1882. Read Orrin's review of Freedom from Fear: The United States, 1929-1945 (1999) (David M. Kennedy)(Grade: A) & No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt(Doris Kearns Goodwin)(C+)

Richard Brautigan (1935-84) was born in Tacoma, WA on January 30, 1935. Read Orrin's review of Trout Fishing in America (1967)

Norman Mailer (1923-) was born in Long Branch, NJ on January 31, 1923. Brothers Judd has reviewed several of his books.

John Lukacs (1924-) was born in Budapest, Hungary on January 31, 1924. Read Orrin's review of Five Days in London, May 1940 (1999) (John Lukacs 1924-) (Grade: B)

Zane Grey (1872-1939) was born in Zanesville, OH on January 31, 1872. Read Orrin's review of Riders of the Purple Sage (1912) (Grade: A)

John O'Hara (1905-1970) was born in PA on January 31, 1905. Read Orrin's reviews of Appointment in Samarra (1934)(Grade: A) and BUtterfield 8 (1935)(Grade: B+)

Kenzaburo Oe (1935-), the 1994 Nobel Laureate, was born in Shikoku, Japan on January 31, 1935. Read Orrin's review of A Personal Matter (1969)(Grade: A+)