The Story Behind International Book Day: In Some Countries, the Day is Known as World Book and Copyright Day

UNESCO has declared April 23^rd the International Day of the Book to promote reading and publishing books as well as laws that protect authors' rights.

Why the 23rd? Amazingly enough, two of the western world's most famous authors, William Shakespeare and Miguel Cervantes, both died on that date in 1616.

As if that weren't enough, Barcelona, Spain has long had a tradition of celebrating St. George's Day, April 23, by the exchange of a rose and a book. The man gives his sweetheart a rose, she gives him a book or the gift exchange can occur within a family. There's a medieval legend behind the gift of the rose. When St. George killed the dragon that had threatened to eat a Catalan princess, a rosebush grew from the dragon's blood. St. George is said to have presented the princess with the most beautiful rose from the bush. In 1923, someone in Barcelona connected that tradition with the death dates of Cervantes and Shakespeare. More recently, UNESCO made the day international, calling it the World (or International) Day of the Book and Copyright.

Nowadays, Barcelona celebrates two times over, honoring St. George and drawing throngs to the center of the city for book events. Book chains there expect to make half the year's sales on the day.

In other places, the celebration may take place on a date other than the 23^rd, say, a weekend date that draws more participants. In San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, the local chapter of the international writers' organization, PEN, is sponsoring a reading in English and Spanish of monologues from Shakespeare's plays.

Kensington, Maryland is going all out this year, dedicating its main street to book-related events ranging from volunteer firemen arriving in their truck to show the books they read about fire fighting, an open mike poetry reading, and rare book appraising. Children can get into the act (besides admiring the fire truck) by playing an interactive game with a local writer about how books are made. In fact, more than sixty local writers and illustrators will be on hand to meet their present and future readers.

On Shakespeare's sceptered isle, Scottish children will have the chance to nominate their favorite nursery rhyme.

As for copyright, George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans--1819-1880), was the first writer to receive a royalty related to sales instead of a flat fee for her work. She received 40% of all income realized from the sale of her novel Middlemarch, published in 1871. Nowadays, authors typically earn between 5 and 15 percent of the publisher's net income or of list price.