Amsterdam becomes book capital

Amsterdam is set to take the literary world by storm after being named the Word Book Capital for 2008.

The city will host a series of events this year to celebrate the title awarded by Unesco in partnership with International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.

An official launch ceremony will be held on the banks of the IJ lake on April 23rd to recognise World Book and Copyright Day.

The year-long calendar of events will also include a giant book fare scheduled for May which will host 1,000 book stalls and will stretch along the side of the Amstel River.

Highlights are set to include workshops and exhibitions to explore the work of some of Amsterdam's most notable literary figures including Anne Frank, Annie M G Schdmit and Benedict Spinoza.

Previous cities to hold the World Book Capital title include Turin in Italy and Antwerp in Belgium.