World Book Day

　　World Book Day, also known as International Day of the Book, is an annual event on 23 April celebrating authors, readers, illustrators and books. It is officially organized by UNESCO and is also celebrated in the United Kingdom every first Thursday in March.

　　Historical Background

　　In 1923, booksellers in Catalonia, Spain, first connected 23 April and books. Vicente Clavel Andrés, a Valencian writer, believed that author Miguel de Cervantes should be honored.

　　Originally, the celebration was on Cervantes’ birthday, 7 October, but was later changed to his death day on 23 April.

　　It was only in 1995 that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially designated 23 April as the date to celebrate World Book and Copyright Day.

　　The date is also the death and birth anniversary of prominent authors including William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Robert Bridges and Michael Crichton.

　　Each year, UNESCO chooses a World Book Capital where activities are held and supported by the book industry. In 2018, Athens was chosen as the capital wherein books would be made accessible to all city residents.

　　Celebrating World Book Day

　　There are over 100 countries celebrating World Book Day. In the United Kingdom, it is celebrated every first Thursday in March because April often coincide with the Easter holiday and 23 April is also the National Saint’s Day of England, specifically St. George’s Day.

　　In addition, on this day, children in the U.K. dress up as their favorite character for school and community events.

　　It is a celebration of authors, illustrators and the importance of reading. According to researchers, children who love reading are not only good readers, but they tend to develop a broader vocabulary and understand other cultures easily.

　　In Sweden, World Book Day was moved to 13 April in 2000 and 2011 due to Easter holidays.

　　Fascinating Book Facts

　　In 1455, the 42-lines Bible, also known as the Gutenberg Bible, was the first major book printed in Europe using Johannes Gutenberg’s movable metal-type printer. It was originally written in Latin.

　　Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities is recorded as the best-selling book written in English. It was an 1859 novel depicting the stories of London and Paris during the French Revolution. Over the last 150 years, it has sold more than 200 million copies.

　　A Tale of Two Cities is followed by J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

　　J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter is the biggest-selling novel series of all time. Collectively, the seven novels sold an estimated 450 million copies around the world.

　　As of 2010, there are over 129 million books in existence according to Google.

　　According to Business Insider, Bill Gates purchased the most expensive book for $30.8 million. It was Codex Leicester by Leonardo da Vinci.

　　Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) is considered to be the first book written using a typewriter.