World oldest printed book

The definition of oldest book is tough to pin down. Oldest printed book published national geographic society. Few venture that the answer is a revered buddhist text called the diamond sutra, printed in 868 a. The fascinating discovery of the worlds oldest book. Equally incorrect are websites whose claims are based on the premise that a book is a printed object. Which holy book is the oldest, the bible, the gita, or the. Worlds oldest multicolor book, a chinese calligraphy. This is the oldest known printed book with an explicit date mentioned on it. The gutenberg bible also known as the 42line bible, the mazarin bible or the b42 was among the earliest major books printed using massproduced movable metal type in europe. Printed in 868ce, this copy of the diamond sutra is the oldest known printed and dated book in the world, predating the gutenberg bible by 600 years and any wooden block printing in. The printing itself was done using large wooden blocks and, although earlier printed books have survived, this copy of the diamond sutra is the oldest that bears a specific date.

Five things to know about the diamond sutra, the worlds oldest. This historic chinese artist manual, printed in 1633, is the oldest multi color book in history. The gutenberg bible, also known as the 42line bible, is listed by the guinness book of world records as the worlds oldest mechanically printed. And yet, this work came to the limelight only in the early 20th century. Printed copy of the diamond sutra the british library. This question is pretty fraught for a couple of reasons. Five things to know about the diamond sutra, the world s oldest dated printed book printed over 1,100 years ago, a chinese copy of the diamond sutra at the british library is one of the most. Erica eisen the oldest printed book in the world lrb 12 october. The worlds earliest complete, dated and printed book goes back to may 11, 868. The oldest known surviving woodblockprinted work is a buddhist scripture of the chinese wu zetian period 684705 a. The oldest book printed with movable type is not the. This book now resides at the british museum in london. The worlds oldest multicolor printed book was too fragile.

The earliest intact european book is a pocket gospel book, written in latin and currently housed at the british librarywhich bought it for. The precise date makes this particular edition of diamond sutra the worlds oldest printed and dated book in existence. This wellresearched book was a unexpected and pleasant surprise, as was how super the photos look on my kindle fire. The astounding story of one books fivehundredyear odyssey. Chinese cultures were printing pages of booklike structures using carved wood plates and simple presses hundreds of years before gutenberg. Printed over 1,100 years ago, a chinese copy of the. A book thought to be the oldest surviving printed book in the world has gone on display at the british library. The oldest surviving printed book in the world goes on display at londons british library. Bbc news entertainment oldest printed book on display. Here are some of the oldest surviving books in the world. It was produced on the 11 may 868, according to the western calendar.

The first gutenberg bible, printed in 1454 by johannes gutenberg, introduced the world to movable type, history tells us. The buddhist text known as the diamond sutra is believed to be the oldest surviving printed book in the world. This precise, recorded date helped us to determine that this is the oldest printed book in the national librarys collection. The oldest extant printed book is a work of the diamond sutra and dates back to 868 ad, during the tang dynasty. It is widely accepted that the earliest mechanically printed fulllength book was the gutenberg bible, printed in mainz, germany c. Among the hundreds of caves was a chamber that served as a storeroom for books. Inside the worlds oldest multicolor printed book cnn style. Made in 868 ad and written in chinese, the text contains a significant dialogue on perception, and is one of the most important sacred works of the buddhist faith. The diamond sutra, which bears the date 868 ad, was found in a walledup cave in dunhuang, northwest china, in 1907, along with other printed items. The oldest complete printed and dated book is a buddhist text known as the diamond sutra, a name apparently suggested by the buddha himself, as the text is designed to cut like a diamond blade through worldly illusion to illuminate what is real and everlasting. A chinese version of a key text in the mahayana buddhist tradition, this diamond sutrafound among. The very first book i saw was frances wood and mark barnards the diamond sutra. The chinese translated version of this book is the worlds oldest available dated printed book. The worlds oldest multicolor printed book was too fragile to readuntil now the 1633 book has now been digitized a painting of a bird from the 1633 manual of calligraphy and painting.

Ask people to name the worlds oldest printed book and the common reply is gutenbergs bible. Smart news keeping you current five things to know about the diamond sutra, the worlds oldest dated printed book printed over 1,100 years ago, a. The recuyell of the histories of troye, the oldest printed book in english. Entertainment oldest printed book on display bbc news. It was found in a holy site called the mogao or peerless caves or the caves of a thousand buddhas, which was a. It marked the start of the gutenberg revolution and the age of printed books in the west. The book is valued and revered for its high aesthetic and artistic qualities as well as its historic significance. A desert explorer, buddhas secret library, and the unearthing of the worlds oldest printed book. Printing is considered one of the four great inventions of china. Name the name of the oldest printed book of japan social. This copy of the diamond sutra in chinese language, complete with a beautifully illustrated frontispiece, is the worlds earliest dated, printed book. Five things to know about the diamond sutra, the worlds.

The diamond sutra, a buddhist book from dunhuang, china from around 868 a. The diamond sutra is part of a larger canon of early mahayana sutras known as the prajnaparamita meaning perfection of wisdom sutras. Oldest mechanically printed book guinness world records. The oldest cookbooks from libraries around the world. The expectant staff at cambridge universitys library had an inkling of what theyd find when the bindings creaked open and the contents of the worlds oldest multicolor printed book were finally. If the printing defined what a book was, then the oldest book would be the gutenberg bible, printed about 1450. It is a 16 feet long scroll printed on a wood block in 868 ce. The oldest book printed with movable type is not the gutenberg. The printing of this book, as according to the colophon the author or printer note that usually appears at the end of a book, was completed on february 28th, 550 years ago. Thus the oldest book in the world must surely be the gutenberg bible oldest printed book in the west, from c. It is universally acknowledged as the most important of all printed books, writes margaret leslie davis, author of the recently published the lost gutenberg. The vajracchedika prajnaparamita sutra has been translated from sanskrit into english variously as the diamond sutra, the diamond cutter sutra, the vajra sutra and the vajra cutter sutra. A sticker on the front said four pounds off making it sixteen pounds. The precision with which one can date the creation of this book is purely down to the fact that it gives us its publication datethe only such case on this list it is, according to the british library, where it now resides, the earliest example of a dated, printed book in the world.

The last few lines of the text, the colophon, identifies who printed it, when and why. Or that by the time gutenberg got ink on his fingers nearly 600 years later and his revolutionary technology helped usher in the enlightenment this copy of the diamond sutra had been hidden. On may 11, 868, publishers in northern china printed the diamond sutra, which survives as the oldest dated, printed book. Reverently made for universal free distribution by wang jie on behalf of his two parents, 11 may 868. The diamond sutra was printed by method of woodblock printing, a strenuous method in which the text to be printed would be carved into a woodblocks surface, essentially to be used to stamp the words onto the writing surface medium. Discover the 8 oldest books that ever existed here. Tedmed curator jay walker shows off his collection of some of the worlds oldest medical books and talks about what they can teach us about innovation. Meet the oldest printed book in the national library. The gutenberg bible, also known as the 42line bible, is listed by the guinness book of world records as the worlds oldest mechanically printed book. The oldest man in the world 256 years breaks the silence before his death and reveals its secret duration. Name the name of the oldest printed book of japan social science print culture and the modern world.