On World Book Day, the Centre for Business History was supposed to have a visit from the Royal Library's friend association Biblis for a special viewing with the book as the theme. The visit was canceled like so many other things during corona times. This feels especially sad at a time when books are needed the most while the book industry is struggling to survive. But the book will survive this crisis too, and we hope to see the Biblis Association visit at a later occasion – why not on World Book Day 2021?

Until then, a personal favorite among the treasures: Publisher Karl Otto Bonnier's letter to Selma Lagerlöf on May 18, 1905. There he comments on the author's new book project – a geography reader about a little boy who travels on the back of a goose across Sweden's elongated land. I quote the publisher: "What does it matter if it takes a year longer – take your time – this is almost your greatest effort to be made!" Hardly something an author is used to hearing from their publisher. On the other hand, Karl Otto Bonnier probably knew what he was doing; Nils Holgersson's Wonderful Journey Through Sweden was published in two parts in 1906 and 1907. In 1909, Selma Lagerlöf was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature as the first woman.

World Book Day takes place on Thursday, March 23. The Centre for Business History manages one of the world's most extensive publishing collections, with documents, correspondence, original manuscripts, and much more from most of the major Swedish publishing houses. Celebrate World Book Day 2020 at home, with a good book!