WORLD BOOK and COPYRIGHT DAY

An updated version of Shakespeare's dilemma...

"In all formats, books embody ideas and values considered by men and women to be worth passing on. They are valuable tools for knowledge-sharing, mutual understanding and openness to others and to the world."

Irina Bokova
Message for World Book and Copyright Day
23 April 2012

 

World Book and Copyright Day (also known as International Day of the Book or World Book Days) is a yearly event on 23 April, organized by UNESCO, to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity.
The Day was first celebrated in 1995 and in 2012 the UK World Book Day was celebrated on March 1, 2012.
World Book Day was celebrated for the first time on April 23. The connection between 23 April and books was first made in 1923 by booksellers in Spain as a way to honour the author Miguel de Cervantes who died on that day. In 1995, UNESCO decided that the World Book and Copyright Day would be celebrated on this date because of the Catalonian festival and because the date is also the anniversary of the birth and death of William Shakespeare and the death of Miguel de Cervantes, among others.

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Book_and_Copyright_Day and
http://www.un.org/en/events/bookday/

So, Happy Birthday Shakespeare!!! Watch and enjoy artists and athletes read a famous Shakespeare passage:

For more info, please check http://festival.london2012.com/
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
http://www.history.com/news/2011/10/24/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-william-shakespeare/?cmpid=INT_Outbrain_HITH_HIS&obref=obnetwork
...
or my latest resource, a webquest on the English Bard at http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=145126 and the worksheets at http://issuu.com/teacheralex/docs/handout_webquest__april2012