World Book and Copyright Day observed on April 23

Key facts

• World Book and Copyright Day, also known as International Day of the Book, is celebrated globally on April 23.
• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) established the day in 1995.
• The date April 23 marks the death anniversaries of prominent writers William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes in 1616.
• The observance highlights the importance of protecting intellectual property through copyright laws.
• Iceland is cited as having the highest per capita readership in the world.
• Bibliosmia is the term used to describe the distinct smell of old books.
• Estimates suggest that more than 130 million books exist globally.
• The 10 recommended classics include 1984 by George Orwell, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
• The list of essential reads also features Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, and The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien.