World Book and Copyright Day 2023: History, Activities and More

Books are a man’s best friend as they never complain or demand. And to promote reading, publishing, and copyright, the United Nations Educational Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) established World Book and Copyright Day to celebrate this meaning. Every year, on 23 April we come together to celebrate this day. Originally, Vicente Clavel Andres established this day to honor Miguel de Cervantes, a profound Spanish author. Continue reading this blog to more about World Book and Copyright Day.

History of World Book and Copyright Day

World Book and Copyright Day were officially observed in 1955. However, the roots of this day were laid back in 1922 by Vicente Clavel Andres to honor a profound Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. 23 April was a natural choice of UNESCO in the General Conference of 1995 in Paris. This date holds immense significance in English Literature as many prominent authors including Miguel de Cervantes, William Shakespeare, and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega died on this date. 

UNESCO choose this date to pay a tribute to the authors worldwide and encourage everyone to access books. It is believed that the day serves as a link between the past and the future bridging the connection between generations and cultures. UNESCO along with many international organizations come together to represent three major sectors of the book industry including Publishers, Booksellers, and Libraries to select the World Book Capital for the coming years to maintain the initiative and the impetus of the celebration.

Also Read: Importance of Reading Skills and Benefits 

Significance

Books hold a special significance in our lives, providing the light of knowledge in the darkest days, guiding us through the toughest parts of our lives imparting wisdom on countless topics. 

World Book and Copyright Day signify the following aspects of books:

• The day promotes reading culture around the world and encourages people to take up reading as a hobby and burst the stereotype of reading as a boring act. 
• Books are the ultimate source of knowledge that imparts information and ideas to all. They are the most dependable source of knowledge and wisdom that could polish an amateur to becoming an expert 
• The day also spreads awareness about the intellectual property of authors and encourages people to get access to books legally without infringing on the original, copyright material of other authors 

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How is it Celebrated?

The following are the ways to celebrate this day:

• One of the best ways to celebrate this day is to read a book, so, go ahead and buy the book that you have wished to read for a long time
• Invite your friends for a reading challenge, and contest with your friends as to who can read more books in a fixed duration of time. You can have book relay with yourself as well by picking up a book of a new genre every time.
• Books are a great gift. Consider gifting your old books to someone or you can even donate them to other people who need them and enable them as well to be inspired by that book

Also Read: 15 Best Selling Books of All Time

Benefits of Reading Books

The following are the benefits of reading books:

• It improves your linguistic skills including, grammar, sentence structure, usage of words and vocabulary 
• Some studies have shown that reading books can make you feel empathetic as we tend to develop a connection with a character
• Another great benefit of reading is it reduces your stress and anxiety levels and helps you get distracted from worries to focus more on the words written in it 
• In this fast-paced world, everyone has compromised on their sleep schedule, reading a book at night before going to bed can inflict a positive effect on your mind as well as help you sleep faster 

FAQs

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