World Book and Copyright Day

Every year on 23 April, the World Book and Copyright Day is marked with the aim of promoting reading, publishing and intellectual property protection. This year it also celebrates the 625th anniversary of the birth of Johannes Gutenberg. His invention of the printing press caused a cultural revolution in Europe as it replaced the writing of books by hand.

In 1440, Gutenberg constructed a wooden press that was used to make an imprint by pressing a flat plate over a sheet of paper. He poured out individual metal letters and composed lines and pages from them. In 1455 he published the first printed book - the Bible. It was printed in 100 to 200 copies, on paper and parchment, on 1,282 folio pages in 2 columns of 42 lines.

The World Book and Copyright Day reminds us that it is important to write and read, and also to respect copyright, a right enjoyed by authors of literary works which gives them the exclusive right to use or give permission to others to use their work.

(Željka Šaravanja)