I got an education on significant births and death taking place on April 23 throughout the centuries while visiting World Book and Copyright Day site.
Let's start with the fact that Cervantes and Shakespeare both died on April 23, 1616.
Maurice Druon and Vladimir Nabokov were either born or died on April 23 I learned.
April 23 is also St George's Day which in Catalonia is known as Sant Jordi or the Day of Lovers and exchanging books and roses is a romantic gesture.
The Spanish cultural centre in Montpellier (France), Hispanotheque organized a day of readings and other activities for Sant Jordi on April 23.
World Book Day calendar of events also notes that "for the 20th consecutive year, the Café Iruña, the Café La Granja and the Restaurant Ibaigane (Bilbao) celebrated the World Book and Copyright Friday on Friday 15 April by offering their customers a "menu of edible books”. This menu consisted in a mouthwatering list of books from which customers could choose "the more appetizing book" as they choose a dish."
Ireland and the UK celebrate World Book Day on March 3 followed by World Book Night for which we run a Cook the Books Contest on March 5, 2011.
What a book is has changed greatly since the days of Cervantes or even Druon and Nobokov.
With E-Books it might include interactive features, videos and any number of things.
Books still take us journeys.
Happy World Book Day!