Got an idea for a holiday? Send it to us

Submit Now

April15–21

Canada Book Week – April 15-21, 2025

Canada Book Week is an annual event that is marked on April 15 to April 21. The decision to have this holiday falls on the third week of April is it can be part of Canada Book Day, which shares the same day as World Book Day. The idea behind Canada Book Week is to encourage and promote books and the habit of reading them. There is a startling rate of global illiteracy — usually stemming from the lack of study materials, including books. However, it is essential to establish and maintain a reading culture as early as possible to lay the foundation for a forward-thinking and innovation-driven society due to a constant search for information and knowledge.

History of Canada Book Week

Books, as we know them today, are primarily a result of the evolution of the printing press, which was made famous by the Gutenberg Bible. However, books were uniquely handcrafted before that era, with each page personalized through special design features. Each part of the book was analyzed in detail to reveal its purpose, history, ideologies, and philosophies of the era it was written. Furthermore, the book was also examined to determine whether it had readers who interacted with its content. The books were so well packaged that most of the information required of the book beyond the content was evident from the preservation of the books.

The history of books comprises the development of writing and various other inventions such as paper and printing, as well as the modern-day business of book printing. The earliest societally acknowledged history of books predates the conventional idea of books as known today. It begins with tablets, scrolls, and sheets of papyrus. (The presently recognized format of books, with separate sheets fastened together, is called a “codex”, the plural form of which is “codices”).

Then, with the advancement of time came the hand-bound, decorated manuscripts appearing in codex form, eventually giving way to press-printed volumes and, later, the mass-printed volumes as we have them today. Along with these developments came the accessibility of books to people living with disabilities through audiobooks and Braille. The history of books gained ground as an academic discipline during the 1980s. The fundamental purpose of the history of books is to demonstrate and portray the book as an object, not just the text contained within it, as a conduit of interaction between readers and the book’s content.

Canada Book Week timeline

868 A.D.
The Diamond Sutra is Printed

The Diamond Sutra, the world’s oldest printed book, is printed.

1422
William Caxton is Born

The British writer and publisher, credited with popularizing the printing press in England, is born.

1455
The Gutenberg Bible is Printed

The famous Gutenberg Bible, a Latin Bible, gets printed.

1843
The Macmillan Publishers is Established

The famous British publishing company, Macmillan Publishers, is established.

Canada Book Week FAQs

Is there a Canada Children’s Book Festival?

Yes, there is. It was started in 1977 by Canada’s Children’s Book Center.

What was the first book ever?

The first book to be written was “The Epic of Gilgamesh”, a mythical retelling of an important political figure from history.

What is the world's longest book?

The longest book in the world, according to the Guinness World Records, is the book titled “The Remembrance Of Things Past”, which contains over nine million characters.

Canada Book Week Activities

  1. Read a book!

    The best way to celebrate Canada Book Week is to read a book! There are so many interesting books available to pick from.

  2. Gift someone a book

    Be thoughtful and give someone a book. Not only is doing so a beautiful thing, but it also makes Canada Book Week even more special.

  3. Share on Social Media

    Share what you’re reading on social media using the #CanadaBookWeek hashtag. Encourage others to also share their current reading list.

5 Important Facts About Books

  1. Millions of books have been published

    Throughout the history of book publishing, over 130 million books have been published so far.

  2. The world’s most sold book

    The Bible is the most sold book in the world, with an estimated five billion copies sold to date.

  3. The world's most expensive book

    The most expensive book in the world is the Codex Leicester, which was Leonardo da Vinci’s science diary. It sold for 30.8 million dollars in 1994.

  4. The world’s longest book

    The longest book in the world, according to the Guinness World Records, is the book titled “The Remembrance Of Things Past”, which contains over nine million characters.

  5. The printing press is invented

    Johannes Gutenberg is the man to thank for books as we know them today.

Why We Love Canada Book Week

  1. It’s a great time to read!

    Canada Book Week is a great time to read (even if one wasn’t already an avid reader). Reading books can be quite an experience.

  2. It’s an opportunity to share

    Canada Book Week also allows us to share with those around us by gifting a book to someone. Reading is an important practice to follow.

  3. Books make us smarter

    Well, what can we say? Reading books makes us smarter because you learn and are better informed every time you read something new.

Canada Book Week dates

Year Date Day
2025 April 15 Tuesday
2026 April 15 Wednesday
2027 April 15 Thursday
2028 April 15 Saturday
2029 April 15 Sunday