Richmond, Virginia authors recognized on National Book Lovers Day

Friday, August 9 was National Book Lovers Day. That date is celebrated globally every year. This year, the Virginia Tourism Corporation shared a long list of writers, journalists and artists with roots in Richmond, Virginia.

David Baldacci

David Baldacci, AuthorPhoto byPublic Domain/Wikipedia Screenshot

David Baldacci, a Richmond novelist who focuses on crime and mystery, turned 64 years old on August 5, 2024. He is a Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) alum.

Baldacci's books have been published in over 45 languages and over 80 countries. He has sold 150 million copies worldwide.

David and his wife Michelle are the founders of the nonprofit Wish You Well Foundation, which supports family and adult literacy programs across the United States.

James Branch Cabell

James Branch CabellPhoto byPublic Domain/Wikipedia Screenshot

James Branch Cabell was a fantasy fiction writer who lived from April 14, 1879 to May 5, 1958. He was so influential in Richmond that a library at Virginia Commonwealth University was named after him.

VCU Libraries said about Cabell’s writing:

“His medieval romanticism and fantasy, which combined many classic mythologies in a fantasy world Cabell called Poictesme (pwa-tem), were in fact thinly disguised commentary on the manners of those times.”

Ellen Glasgow

Ellen Glasgow, Richmond authorPhoto byCommon use: Wikipedia.org Screenshot

Ellen Glasgow lived from April 22, 1873 to November 21, 1945. She was a Richmond fiction writer who published many works at the turn of the 20th century. When this Pulitzer Prize-winning author wasn’t writing best-selling novels, she was advocating for women’s suffrage.

Tom Wolfe

Tom Wolfe from Richmond, VirginiaPhoto byMoSchle/Wikipedia Screenshot

Tom Wolfe lived from March 2, 1930 to May 14, 2018. He was a Richmond novelist and journalist. He was widely known for his association with New Journalism.

His journalistic career history includes working for the Springfield Union in Massachusets, the Washington Post, the New York Herald-Tribune, Esquire, and more.