Today, old books are increasingly a popular collection, especially the price of some precious manuscripts, which have been pushed up by governments, billionaires and private collectors for more than three decades. Fei Manjun collected the world’s 10 most expensive books, although we are not Tuhao, but you can also take a look at the growth of knowledge! (All dollar data are adjusted for inflation.) ）
Most expensive books in the world
NO.1 “Leicester Manuscripts” Price: $49.4 million
The manuscript was completed in Milan between 1506 and 1510 by Leonardo da Vinci. The manuscript is 18 pages long and is written in pink ink. The paper used is double-sided sheets, each of which can be expanded, so it is a total of 72 pages. It covers a wide range of disciplines.
The Leicester manuscript is fascinating because of its use of mirror writing, in addition to its valuable scientific materials and meticulous academic interpretation. This writing is also the original of Leonardo da Vinci. In The Da Vinci Code, Jacques Sonnier imitates Leonardo da Vinci’s writing methods and hides the poems that interpret the first code. In addition, the Leicester manuscript contains a wealth of illustrated texts, from astronomy to geology, hydrology, archaeology and even optics, all the more numerous inventions and discoveries in various disciplines.
The Leicester manuscript is named after the British buyer in 1717. When art collector Armand Hamer bought it in the 1980s, it was renamed the Hammer Manuscript. Today it is owned by Bill Gates, one of Microsoft’s founders and the world’s richest man.
interpret the value of one word
NO.2 The Gospel of Henry the Lion King price: $28 million
Henry the Lion, once Germany’s most powerful prince, commissioned the book in 1175. When it was published in 1983, it was the most expensive book in the world at the time. The book is now owned by the German government and is housed in Wolfenbitt’s Herzog August Library.
NO.3 Magna Carta Price: $24.5 million
Magna Carta was signed by the King of England and the nobles on June 15, 1215, to limit the absolute power of the King of England. Magna Carta, published in the 12th century, currently has only 17 copies, one of which was handed over by Us billionaire Ross Perot to David Rubenstein, another billionaire and co-founder of carlyle.
NO.4 The Gospels of St. Cusbert Price: $15.1 million\
The Gospel of St. Kuspert, the Gospel of St. John, was written in the late 7th century A.C. and placed in the coffin of Saint Cousbert on Lindysfarne, circa 698 A.C. The remains of the saints were found in County Durham in 1104, and the manuscript was seen again when the coffin was opened. The Gospels of St. Cusbert are arguably the oldest surviving book in Europe, with covers bound in red leather and largely preserved from the inside out. In 2011, the British Library bought the book from the Jesuits.
The most expensive book in the world
NO.5 Gulf Hymn Price: $14.5 million
The Gulf Hymn, a collection of folk hymns translated from Hebrew, was published in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1640, and is the first printed book in American history. At that time, 1,700 sets were issued, leaving only 11 in the world, which is said to mark “the beginning of American literature”.
NO.6 Rothschild Prayer Price: $13.9 million
The Rothschild Prayer Book was created in 1505 for the exclusive use of members of the Dutch royal family and became a collection of treasures of the Rothschild family of european disciples in the nineteenth century, hness known as the Rothschild Prayer Book. The book is one of the highest achievements of the Renaissance Flemish school, with a total of 150 pages. The book contains luxurious and rich exquisite illustrations, drawing realistic beauty, vivid content, all illustrations by the most famous color painting artists at that time to create, beautiful. The book was confiscated by the Nazi German government in 1938 along with other artifacts.
NO.7 “American Birds” Price: $12.6 million
The book, written in the 1820s, contains hundreds of hand drawings by author John James Audubon, who has been interested in birds since childhood and has taken the stand of presenting American birds in the most realistic form. Before painting, he shoots the captured bird to death, then uses wire to frame it and depicts it in its actual size, so the size of the book is far greater than a normal book, and each painting takes about 60 hours to complete. In 2013, there were only 119 books known in the world, 108 of which were in museum, library and university collections, and one was bought by London art dealer Michael Tolmash in 2010.
NO.8 Canterbury Story Collection Price: $11.1 million
In the 1470s, William Caxton, a wealthy British businessman, brought lithography back to England from Belgium and founded the first printing house for publishing profits. His first large print of his chosen book was Chaucer’s famous Canterbury Storybook.
NO.9 U.S. Constitution Price: $10.2 million
This 225-year-old copy of the U.S. Constitution, originally belonging to George Washington, the first president of the United States, is of great historical value and well-preserved, and in the book, many of Washington’s notes, such as some of the notes about the president’s duties, are clearly visible. The copy was purchased by the Mount Vernon Women’s Society in 2012, and as early as 1858, the nonprofit began working to preserve Washington’s former home, Mount Vernon, and his personal belongings.
NO.10 Shakespeare’s Comedy, Historical Drama and Tragedy Price: $8.2 million
Shakespeare died in 1616, and two of his former colleagues collected 36 of his works and published the first collection of Shakespeare’s plays in 1623, later known as the First Pair. Eighteen of the book’s 36 plays have never been printed before, including Macbeth, Twelfth Night and The Tempest. Therefore, without the First Pair, future life would not have been able to enjoy Shakespeare’s plays. A total of 750 copies were printed that year, with only 250 surviving, while the full version of The First Pair survived only about 40. Christie’s called it “the most important book in English literature” and a 2001 auction of a “first pair of books” was bought by an anonymous buyer.
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