The 14th of April is celebrated as National Donate a Book Day by consumers across the United States. You are encouraged to donate both new and moderately used books to your local libraries. If the volumes are not added to the libraries’ collections, Friends of Libraries will receive them. The Friends of Libraries load their library-benefiting book sales with donated volumes. Donate yours to a local public library to enable others to gain knowledge.
The background of National Donate a Book Day
Book-of-the-Month Club, a book subscription service founded in 1926, announced National Donate a Book Day for the first time on April 14, 2011, during National Library Week. It was conducted in honour of Book of the Month’s 85th anniversary and was made possible through a partnership with the American Library Association’s A.L.T.A.F.F. division (A.L.A.). Since that day, readers in the United States have been encouraged to “share the pleasure of reading” by donating new or gently used books to their local public libraries.
Isaac Harry Scherman, an American publisher and economist, was one of the co-founders of Book of the Month. It provides a monthly curated selection of new books to its members, with an emphasis on new releases and debut authors. They are known for launching the careers of several acclaimed authors in American literary history, including Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell and Nelson Richard DeMille with “Gone with the Wind” and “By the Rivers of Babylon,” respectively.
Book-of-the-Month Club announced its inaugural Book of the Year Award in 2016. Members of the club select the finalists. As a tribute to the first book chosen by the society in 1926, “Lolly Willowes” by Sylvia Nora Townsend Warner, the first award was named the Lolly. In 2017, the prize was increased to $10,000, and the victor was John Boyne’s “The Heart’s Invisible Furies.” Madeline Miller’s “Circe” earned the award in 2018. Taylor Jenkins Reid’s “Daisy Jones & The Six” was the 2019 victor. Brit Bennett’s “The Vanishing Half” earned the award in 2020.
5 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT BOOKS YOU NEED TO KNOW
The Bible is the most popular publication.
The Bible is the most popular book of all time, with approximately five million copies sold.
“In Pursuit of Lost Time” is the longest novel ever written.
“In Pursuit of Lost Time” by Marcel Proust is the longest book in the world, containing an estimated 9,609,000 characters.
“Codex Leicester” is the priciest book.
In 1994, the “Codex Leicester” by Leonardo da Vinci sold for a record-breaking $30.8 million USD.
“This is the Prophet Mohammed” is the greatest inscription on the monument.
The heaviest book is “This the Prophet Mohammed” by Mshahed International Group, which weighs 3,307 pounds.
Abhijita Gupta is the youngest published author.
Gupta is the youngest poet and prose writer in the globe.
NATIONAL DONATE A BOOK DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | April 14 | Friday |
| 2024 | April 14 | Sunday |
| 2025 | April 14 | Monday |
| 2026 | April 14 | Tuesday |
| 2027 | April 14 | Wednesday |
