Honorary president: Judith Butcher Honorary vice-president: David Crystal OBE

On this day...

29 July 1878     The American journalist, author, playwright and poet Don Marquis, creator of the immortal Archy & Mehitabel, was born in Walnut, Illinois

30 July 1935     The first Penguin paperbacks were published, price sixpence, starting a total revolution in publishing. Penguin sold three million copies in their first year

31 July 1919     The Italian chemist, writer and Auschwitz survivor, Primo Levi, was born in Turin. One of his best-known works is the collection of essays and short stories called The Periodic Table