Make a Date for 2013 - Calendars and Diaries

Christmas is just a few short weeks away and hot on its heels will follow the New Year. Diaries and calendars for 2013 are already selling in large numbers as retailers prepare to supply these essential products, which are very popular as gifts around the festive period.

The calendar has a history almost as long as human civilisation. Calendar comes from the Latin word kalendae, the word given to the first day of each month. As they were originally designed to note seasonal changes and to assist farmers by marking plowing, growing and harvesting times, many of these original calendars are very similar to the modern Gregorian calendar used as the world standard today. The ancient Maya kept two calendars; the Sacred Round of 260 days and the Vague Year of 365 days. Ancient Athenians also had a calendar similar to the modern style, lasting 364 days. The Anno Domini system now used across the world was first developed during the 8th century although it did not become commonly used until several hundred years later. Since the 13th century, the current system has been used.

The diary is a similarly ancient invention. Diary is derived from the Latin diarium, meaning ‘daily allowance’ while Journal, another common word for a diary, is similarly derived from jour, the French word for day. The oldest diaries can be traced back to East Asian and Middle Eastern cultures, although Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius’ work ‘To Myself’ is written in a very similar style to a diary and dates back even further. Throughout this time and right up to the present day, people have used diaries for a variety of reasons: keeping records of meetings, transcribing thoughts, feelings and experiences, taking notes and storing information. Most diaries are not written with publication in mind but are rather a private and personal record of a person’s daily life. That said, many diaries have come to be published and subsequently become very famous, Anne Frank’s and Samuel Pepys’s diaries being notable examples. Fiction has also made use of the diary to great comic effect in Sue Townsend’s series of successful books about the hapless character Adrian Mole.

Harrison’s direct now have a boldly-designed 2013 calendar plus a wide selection of diaries for 2013 currently available. From large hard case week- or day-to-view desk diaries to soft leatherette pocket and slim designs, there is a diary here to suit every customer. Available in a broad selection of case sizes and colours, the range is representative of the superior quality of highly-saleable products Harrison’s offer to our trade-only customers.

For more information on or extensive range of exciting retail supplies including pet products, pound lines, stationery, confectionery, toys and games and more, please contact a member of our team who will be delighted to assist.

For more information then please call us today on 01254 306840 or email sales@harrisonsdirect.co.uk