A View From Nevis

This is pretty much my only view from the island of Nevis - lying horizontally beneath a large umbrella.

Today is World Book Day! Books did not always look the way they do today, with their glossy covers and creamy pages. When writing systems were invented in ancient civilizations thousands of years ago, clay tablets were used. Later, humanity moved on to using papyrus. In the 3rd century, the Chinese were the first to make something that resembled today’s books, consisting of numerous thick bamboo pages sewn together. Then, in the mid-15th century, Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press brought books into the industrial age, making them readily available to anyone who wanted to read them. Thanks to that ingenious invention, we can all enjoy the works of Shakespeare, Tolstoy, and many others in the comfort of our homes today.

World Book Day was created on April 23rd, 1995, by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). However, the connection between that date and books was made in Spain in 1923, as it is the anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, a prominent Spanish Chronicler.