Samuel Clemens, author and humorist, later known as Mark Twin, was born in Florida, Missouri, on November 30, 1835. He was lauded as the “greatest American humorist of his age”, and William Faulkner called Twain “the father of American literature”.Twain was born shortly after a visit by Halley’s Comet, and he predicted that he would “go out with it”, too. He died the day after the comet returned. Twain began his career writing light, humorous verse, but evolved into a chronicler of the vanities, hypocrisies and murderous acts of mankind. At mid-career, with Huckleberry Finn, he combined rich humor, sturdy narrative and social criticism. Twain was a master at rendering colloquial speech and helped to create and popularize a distinctive American literature built on American themes and language. For a chronology and bibliography of Mark Twain, click here: https://www.marktwainmuseum.org/index.php/research/twains-life-and-works. Find Mark Twain at the library, on hoopla and in OverDrive.

Lucy Maud Montgomery OBE (November 30, 1874 – April 24, 1942), publicly known as L. M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a series of novels beginning in 1908 with Anne of Green Gables. Anne of Green Gables was an immediate success. The central character, Anne, an orphaned girl, made Montgomery famous in her lifetime and gave her an international following. The first novel was followed by a series of sequels with Anne as the central character. Montgomery went on to publish 20 novels as well as 530 short stories, 500 poems, and 30 essays. Most of the novels were set in Prince Edward Island, and locations within Canada’s smallest province became literary landmarks and popular tourist sites—namely Green Gables farm, the genesis of Prince Edward Island National Park. She was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1935. Find Lucy Maud Montgomery at the library, on hoopla and in OverDrive.