* Vast and varied collections: Books are held in libraries, homes, businesses, archives, and more. There's no central database tracking every book.
* Constant change: New books are published and old books are discarded, donated, or lost all the time.
* Defining a "book": Do we count textbooks, magazines, or cookbooks? What about e-books and audiobooks?
Instead of a specific number, we can think about the scale:
* Canada has a strong literary culture: It has numerous libraries, bookstores, and publishing houses.
* Millions of books: The number is undoubtedly in the millions, but it's constantly fluctuating.
To give you an idea, the Toronto Public Library system alone has over 10 million items, including books. This provides a glimpse into the vastness of book collections in just one city.