On this day...

J. R. R. Tolkein's 'The Hobbit', was published in 1937. Set in the fictional land of 'Middle-Earth', Tolkein's novel began when he found an empty page in between school certificates, and penned the famous first line, 'in a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit'. Not long after, he had written a whole manuscript, and, having sent it to friends, including fellow writer C.S. Lewis, it was published five years later.

Such was the novel's immediate popularity, that by December of the same year, all 1,500 copies, complete with a Tolkein's own illustrations, had been sold, and publishers were already demanding a sequel be written. Despite not being available for lengthy periods of time, due to wartime paper rationing, the book has been translated into over 40 languages and remains a children's classic.

On this day...

Fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkein was born in 1892. His full name John Ronald Reuel, Tolkein was an orphan by the age of 12, yet the early experiences with his mother, although brief, stayed with him throughout his life. Love of botany, languages and reading were all inspired by her, and later expressed themselves in his writings. Shortly after graduating from Oxford in 1915, Tolkein volunteered for military service, and was stationed at the Somme. Although later declared unfit for military service after a bout of Trench Fever, Tolkein was considered as a possible codebreaker in the second World War. Tolkein first foray into the literary world came when he accepted a job for the Oxford English Dictionary, studying the etymology of Germanic words beginning with 'W'. It was this interest in the nuances of language that led to the creation of Elvish and subsequently the Middle-Earth world with which he has become synonymous.His most famous works, in more recent times adapted for the big screen, are 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy, and its prequel 'The Hobbit'.

On this day...

The world's first commercial film screening took place in 1895. The Grand Cafe in Paris played host to ten 50 second movies, each created by brothers Auguste and Louis Lumiere. Since then, the film industry has grown exponentially and can often be credited with contributing to or reigniting interest in literary works. Of the top ten highest grossing films worldwide, five belong to arguably the two most influential literary series of all time. The Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings films, earning 5.41 billion and 2.92 billion respectively, have opened up the world of books for many who did not enjoy reading previously; the releases coinciding with a huge upturn in sales for both sets of books. However, it is debatable as to whether adaptations of literary works are positive, many criticising that they can either overshadow the original work, or actually change it beyond recognition.

A magical decade for J.K. Rowling..

The Harry Potter phenomenon has seen J.K. Rowling become the bestselling author of the decade. Beginning with the fourth installment in 2000, Rowling has seen sales of her books reach 29,084,999; generating an income of £225.9m. The incredible figure outstrips her nearest rival, Roger Hargreaves of Mr. Men fame, by 14,921,858 copies. Other popular modern writers to make it into the top ten, include Dan Brown and Jacqueline Wilson. There are also places in the top 50 for writers no longer alive; J.R.R. Tolkein and Roald Dahl both feature and Shakespeare squeezes in at 45 - amassing £17.8m worth of sales more than 390 years after his death.