World Book and Copyright Day is a yearly event on April 23rd, organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), to promote reading, publishing and copyright. In the United Kingdom, the day is recognized on the first Thursday in March. World Book Day was celebrated for the first time on 23 April 1995.

23 April is a symbolic date for world literature. It is on this date in 1616 that Cervantes, Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died. It is also the date of birth or death of other prominent authors, such as Maurice Druon, Haldor K.Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo.

To celebrate the love for reading and publishing, book institutions around the world organised seminars and book gifting programmes.

World Book Capital 2016: Wroclaw, Poland

Each year, UNESCO and the international organizations representing the three major sectors of the book industry – publishers, booksellers and libraries, select the World Book Capital for a one-year period, effective 23 April each year. The city of Wroclaw was chosen this year for its commitment to spreading the message of the power of books to nurture creativity and advance dialogue between women and men of all cultures.

The original idea of World Book Day was of the Valencian writer Vicente Clavel Andrés as a way to honour the author Miguel de Cervantes, who died on April 23.