Buy a Book Day - Curious Holidays from Around the World

Buy a book Day oder Kauf-ein-Buch-Tag

Like you at Pinacolada Day (https://www.cacher-reisen.com/de/Blog/Pina-Colada-Day-kuriose-Feiertage-aus-aller-Welt::80.html)  As you might have already noticed, we occasionally squint at the curious public holidays in the calendar year. Even if I think that a number of our readers have heard more about today's beer lover's day - the American National Beer Lover's Day: today on Friday, September 7th, we also celebrate Buy a Book Day. And since Cacher-Reisen is going on tour to the Baltic States, the Scandinavian countries and Russia tomorrow, it seemed necessary to me to buy suitable travel reading material.

National buy a book day

We are a little surprised to learn that this curious public holiday, which supports the book trade, has only been around since 2010. The buy-a-book holiday is often associated with American Philip Athans. Athans is a successful fantasy and horror writer. Of course he has an interest in people buying books. However, the spread of Buy a Book Day in 2010 had a different background: Ahtans is said to have blogged about the imminent bankruptcy of a large bookseller - this is where the idea for Buy a Book Day was born.

However, it has to be said that this day of action is hardly ever actively celebrated today, the official website of the buy-a-book-day is offline in the meantime. Nevertheless, the aim seems to be to raise public awareness of the cultural significance of books, bookshops or libraries. The purchase of a book should be seen symbolically.

And why now on September 7th? It's - quite simply - the birthday of the inventor. The mission is very simple: go ahead and buy a book (again). Best at the local bookseller you trust - and read again! Pay the few euros for a good book that will make you smile.

Other strange days around the book day

There are other curious holidays around the book. E.g. Diary Day in June, Paperback Day in July or Read a Book Day on September 6th...

New reading for Buy a Book Day

It is better to see something for yourself once than to hear about it a thousand times (Asian proverb). With this quote my new achievement begins.

A few weeks ago I had heard that there was going to be a new edition of the "1000 places you should see before you die". Patricia Schultz is said to have expanded her order book again and I just need the book in my hands. Sometimes an e-book just isn't enough.

So, prepare for today and order the book yesterday – thanks to Amazon, it came today to coincide with the “buy a book day” and departure on Saturday morning with the plane towards Warsaw. You should have some literature with you when you travel!

If only I had bought better in bookstores! Yes, I would certainly have bought the book there. However, less with the expectation of being able to press it into my hand luggage on the plane. Less with the attitude of having suitable reading for the last minutes of the day in the hotel bed. This paperback has 1220 pages and weighs more than 2 kg. If the backpack is only allowed to have 8 kg, then that is clearly too much if you don't want to do without a few T-shirts and socks for the week.... In addition, the book is so full of great places in the world that a lot of words and letters had to be included. As a result, I probably have to buy reading glasses first….

Nevertheless, paying the almost EUR 20 for the book has already paid off. The above quote alone shows how lovingly the work is prepared.

When the postman rang, the (heavy) package was opened straight away and we checked which areas we already knew. Yes, I admit, I also have 2 apps on my phone that display maps and I can mark in color where I've been in my life - or where I've already been as a geocacher. Everyone here knows the difference... In the book, I immediately wanted to mark with a pen which of the 1000 places had already been “checked off”. I'm afraid there's still a lot left...

But now to the content: The last issue already had 1000 places that I absolutely have to see. The new version has been filled even more - how does that work if the number of locations remains the same? The author gives us the answer directly: different areas and areas have been grouped together because they can also be visited together. At first glance, I had expected a little more “specials”. No description of the Costa Brava, other special places that you won't find in every travel guide. I haven't read the book yet, today wouldn't have been enough for that. I already like the map representations that are shown at the beginning of each chapter.

In terms of content, the book covers quite a few corners of the earth. The index of this book stretches over 77 (small print) pages. I start flipping through the topics I dealt with today. I can't find anything in the index about the “White Rock”, the border between the USA and Canada when you come from Seattle. Not even to the Space Needle in Seattle. But that's probably asking too much, just because today I had to do with the fact that this is also one of the top 1000 courses in the world. So, it's better not to search for keywords, but to let the table of contents drive you along. And there are some of my favorite places listed: Ireland with Dublin, Iceland with the ring road, Finland and Sweden with their incomparable landscapes, but of course also distant regions like Asia and the United States. And nearby destinations such as Cologne or the old town of Dresden are also listed. The book has no ranking, you don't see the places numbered from 1 to 1000. At first I was a bit disappointed. So where are the 1000 places? It sometimes spills over to the next topic. But soon I realize that it's good the way it is. What could be number 1 for all readers? Surely everyone decides for themselves...

In any case, the book will also be an inspiration for some new cacher trips. The idea that is currently floating around in my head for the September 2019 period that is still free is also taken up here in the book. You want a tip? It starts just before page 500 with the topic. However, my "highlight" of the planned trip is not included in the book. Maybe we can draw Ms. Schultz's attention to this after the tour in September 2019.... In any case, the euros for the purchase of the book have already paid off!

Did you just buy a new book too? If you feel like it, post the title of the result of your search in the comments. I am excited!