The World Book Day takes place every 23rd of March, having been first organised by the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 1995. This date was decided upon due to its deep connections with several writers around the world. It is suspected to be when English author William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish writer of Don Quixote died.
Since 1995, it has been celebrated by 100 countries all over the world. In the UK, however, Book Day was moved to the first Thursday in March (falling on the 5th in 2026). The UK wanted to avoid having the day fall on schools’ Easter Holidays to ensure the joys of reading are promoted to children to its fullest extent. Children are encouraged to dress up as their favourite literary characters and receive a £1 National Book Token to spend on a regular book or one of the 16 special World Book Day £1 books.
It is understandable that the UK places such importance to this day, being the home to five UNESCO Cities of Literature. For this year’s Book Day, I thought I would highlight the only City of Literature in southern England: Exeter!
Ancient literary history
Exeter earned this title due to its great literary heritage, spanning over a thousand years ago. This is exceptionally shown in the existence of the Exeter Book, a 10th-century anthology recognised by the UNESCO as “the foundation volume of English Literature” and “one of the world’s principal cultural artefacts”. Carefully preserved inside the Exeter Cathedral, this collection of poems and riddles is considered to be the largest and oldest book of English literature in the world.
Exeter as a literary inspiration
Exeter has been home to many highly esteemed writers, such as Agatha Christie, Michael Morpurgo, Hillary Mantel, Philip Reeve and Charles Dickens. And even writers who didn’t live in Exeter could not get the city and its surrounding areas from their mind (BBC):
- Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility was set in the village of Upton Pyne, just four miles away from Exeter. The city itself is briefly mentioned throughout some of her works.
- Dartmoor was of great inspiration for poet laureate, Ted Hughes, and Arthur Conan Doyle. The latter even used the location as the backdrop for his tale “The Hound of the Baskervilles”.
- Oscar Wilde, Henry James and Rupert Brooke liked to visit Torquay. Brooke is even thought to have written his poem “Seaside” about it.
- 20, Northumberland Terrace at Teignmouth is known as Keats’ House due to the author having writing much of his work there.
- Another of the ‘Big Six’ Romantic poets, Samuel Coleridge, also shares deep ties with a different town near Exeter, Ottery St Mary (his birthplace).
- And to bring it back to Exeter, Thomas Hardy used the city (under the name of Exonbury) in four of his novels: The Trumpet Major, Jude the Obscure, A Pair of Blue Eyes and The Woodlanders.
Moving away from writers, Exeter also served as inspiration for the creation of the renowned publishing house Penguin Books. In 1934, after visiting his friend Agatha Christie, Sir Allen Lane found himself bookless at Exeter St Davids, with only magazines and Victorian reprints available to read. He wished to make “high quality, engaging, and reasonably priced books […] available to everyone, anywhere” – soon after, Penguin was founded! If you have ever wondered about the Penguin Books Vending Machine at our dear station, now you know the story behind it.
Current community engagement
However, Exeter’s impact on the literary world does not stop there. Exeter Library is the flagship library for Libraries Unlimited, receiving around 1,500 daily visits and hosting over 60,000 items on 1km of shelves. The organisation Exeter City of Literature also ensures the literary community in the city stays thriving. It hosts a variety of collaborations and events throughout the year, from regular Silent Book Club sessions to a Book Market in June.
And there’s even more things for booklovers to explore and take part of in Exeter. More than I can say in this article, if I am being honest. Exeter is home to second-hand bookshop Book-Cycle (which doubles as a beautiful historical building) and independent bookstore Bookbag. And, of course, there are also many charity bookshops!
Even while on campus, the wonderful literary community is evident with its many creative societies, with literature and creative writing society being just two of the many. The university also hosts a great abundance of books, particularly in the Bill Douglas Museum, the Old Library, Devonshire House and the Forum Library. From course-related books to more contemporary fiction (and a multitude of special collections!), it is undeniable: Exeter truly is a city of literature!
If you want to learn more about Exeter’s rich literary history, I recommend you take a look at the Exeter City of Literature website, “UNESCO Cities of Literature” (published by the 2024/25 MA Publishing cohort at the University of Exeter) and Exeter Literary Map. 2026 has been declared the National Year of Reading, so why not take advantage of the fact that you are studying in a UNESCO City of Literature?