The rare book is currently the subject of a hollywood heist film american animals, where a. The worlds most valuable childrens books do you have one. John james audubons the birds of america is on display at the mitchell library in glasgow. The most commonly read book in the world is the bible. A nondescript battered book filled with spelling errors just became the world s most expensive printed book. The top 10 most expensive stamps in the world catawiki. The whole book of psalmes, or the bay psalm book as it is commonly known, was translated directly from hebrew to english and printed by congregationalist puritans in cambridge. Affordable alternative there have been a handful of where the wild things are posters produced over the years. The bay psalm book is the first known book to be printed in what is now the united states.
Rowling gave six of these moonstone editions to friends and people who worked on the harry potter books, but one went up for auction on amazon. Sothebys names buyer as david rubenstein, the billionaire american financier. Definitely one the most expensive book ever written about fruit trees featuring sixteen different varieties. Top 10 most read books in the world based on number of books printed and sold over the last 50 years. So lets have a look at the most expensive books that have been sold all around the world. What is the first and second most read books in the world. The manuscript was compiled by several artists circa 1500 ce and has 254 folios. This page provides lists of bestselling individual books and book series to date and in any language. Today, christies new york will auction off a copy of john james audubons birds of america, which already holds the title of most valuable printed book in the world. So lets have a look at the most expensive books that have been sold all. Only 48 copies of the original collection of 1450sprinted books are still preserved.
The second most read book in the world is quotations from chairman mao tsetung which has sold. The power of the printed word cannot be disputed, and many printed works have become extremely valuable. Comics and textbooks are not included in this list. The top 10 most expensive books ever sold used since hundreds of years ago, books are probably the most important step in mankinds evolution. Nov 27, 20 media caption a close look at the world s most expensive printed book. Considered as a masterpiece of romanesque book illumination, it has been the most expensive book in the world until bill gates purchased codex leicester in 1994.
The answer is quite surprising at first, but not that unexpected when you think about it. From the papyrus scrolls used in the ancient egypt and the manuscripts in the monasteries of the middle ages, books evolved into what we know today and even appeared more and more in digital form. Best selling refers to the estimated number of copies sold of each book, rather than the number of books printed or currently owned. Oct 29, 2015 yeah, the most expensive book in the world is basically a plumbing manual. Today, however, talk about those volumes that are quite far from the economic possibilities of the most common of mortals.
The entrepreneur and philanthropist bill gates, founder of microsoft, took this valuable work in 1994. The books are listed according to the highest sales estimate as reported in reliable, independent sources. About 180 versions are believed to have been printed originally. May 10, 2017 the most valuable rare books in existence. Most expensive printed book guinness world records. These are some of the worlds most expensive books ceoworld.
The mystery of the world s most expensive bottle of wine paperback april 14, 2009. The worlds most expensive printed book has made a rare appearance from its secured vault at a scottish library. The most expensive books in the world readers digest. This was the firstever edition of the good book to be produced using moveable type print, with johannes gutenbergs printing press hence the name. Nov 15, 20 researcher james chapman has compiled this look at the top 10 most read books in the world. There were only 200 copies of it printed on july 4th, 1776, and only about 26 copies survive to this day. The 10 most expensive books in the world flavorwire. The treskilling yellow is considered one of the most expensive postage stamps in the world due to the fact it should be printed in a bluegreen color with the threeskilling print, but it was actually printed in yellow. The bay psalm book dates from the year 1640, and is the first book ever printed in british north america. Worlds most expensive printed book displayed at library in. Chapman created the list by examining how many individual copies of the books had been printed and sold over the last 50 years.
Researcher james chapman has compiled this look at the top 10 mostread books in the world. Believed to be the first book published in the us, the work became the most expensive printed book after it was. List of most expensive books and manuscripts wikipedia. In 1856, the former colony of british guiana urgently required an extra supply of stamps and couldnt wait for a fresh stock of new stamps to arrive from england where they were normally produced. It is also the first book to use engraved illustrations.
The whole booke of psalmes, or the bay psalm book, as it is now known, is expected to sell for. For a very long time, the 1856 one cent black on magenta of british guiana was considered to be the worlds rarest and most expensive stamp. Writer james chapman created a list of the most read books in the world based on the number of copies each book sold over the last 50 years he found. The most expensive books sold in 2016 business insider. Rowling only created seven copies of this childrens book first mentioned in harry potter and the deathly hallows. Time and again, the gutenberg bible has made it to the most expensive book list. It is now kept at the herzog august bibliotek in wolfenbuttel and for security purposes, its display is only available every two years. Read on to find out which are the top 10 most expensive banknotes in the world.
Jan 28, 2016 the gutenberg bible is probably the most valuable book or type of book in the world. The exceedingly rare first volume was the only one. Some books, in particular, have matched their literary worth. Today the bible is the most printed book in the world and people of all faiths read books on any manner of subjects in every conservable language. The gutenberg bible, also known as the 42line bible, was the first book printed to use massproduced movable metal type in europe a popular.
Researchers have collated the figures for the number of editions, translations and copies sold of the world s most popular books these are the most loved tomes. First, in 1987, it set a record for the most expensive book ever purchased. The first book ever printed in what became the usa is now the world s most expensive printed book. This april 20 file photo provided by sothebys and taken in new york shows what the auction house describes as the world. Top 10 most expensive banknotes ever sold catawiki. Other books featured multiple times on the list are the gutenberg bible, the first folio of shakespeare s plays and the north american indian with four separate copies. But nothing beats the look and feel of a paperback and theres reason to be hopeful yet that people are revisiting the joy of physical books. One of these rare notes was sold in 2011 for 1,000. The current recordholder for most expensive fiction book ever sold is chaucers canterbury tales. Sold at christies new york in november 2011, it was the held the world record for most expensive print ever sold until 2014.
While there are a handful of books in the world that may be worth more, until 20 birds of america held the record for the most money paid at auction for any single printed work. Harper lees new novel go set a watchman, the followup to to kill a mockingbird, is set to become one of the fastestselling books. It is estimated that, when adjusted for inflation, five of the 10 most expensive books ever sold were copies of birds of america. The bay psalm book is probably best known for being the first printed book in british. From the first book ever printed to the most valuable comic book, check out our top 10 most expensive books in the world. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. The original declaration of independence, signed by thomas jefferson, benjamin franklin, and john adams, is easily one of the rarest, most sought after documents of all time. Some books, in particular, have matched their literary worth with a price tag. Nov 30, 20 a nondescript battered book filled with spelling errors just became the worlds most expensive printed book.
The world of print has come under pressure in recent years, with the rise of ebooks and digital reading. Sendak, who died in 2012, was a generous signer and often added sketches when signing a book. In 1456, the gutenberg bible was the first book ever printed with moveable type. Most expensive ever sold books in the world top ten. Here, we look at some of the worlds most expensive printed books. Yes, some people have spent such a huge amount just for a single book. The bible tops the list of the most read books in the world. First book printed in british north america is now worlds. Bay psalm book the worlds most expensive book that sold. Nov 25, 20 today, sothebys will auction a copy of the first englishlanguage book printed in america. Amongst this list of expensive books, most are ancient texts that bear. A lot of davincis writing was lost to history almost half of it.
Printed in 1477, only two copies are held by private collectors today. Without the success of the first book, rowling might have never released the other books in the harry potter series. In fact, these are some of the most expensive ever sold. This was the most expensive book ever sold when it changed hands back in 2010. Or, you know, today plus 35 business days for shipping. These are the 12 most popular books of all time indy100. Can you think of any book that can be sold in millions of dollars. This atlast is based on the work of the secondcentury greek mathematician, geographer and astronemer, ptolemy.
The world s most expensive printed book has made a rare appearance from its secured vault at a scottish library. The worlds most expensive printed book lifes so beautiful. This was the firstever edition of the good book to be produced using moveabletype print, with johannes gutenbergs printing press hence the name. The most expensive books in the world are the works of seminal masters whose legacies are all but impossible to ignore. Some titles may have had more copies printed than some of these books, but a vast number of those books were. The bay psalm book is the first known book to be printed. In fact, according to experts, a list of the 10 most expensive books ever sold would include at least three copies of this work. While far from the most expensive book on this list. Worlds most expensive printed book displayed at library. Only 48 copies of the original 1450sprinted batch remain today. However the most prized of these books are still those offering spiritual guidance. Grab your wallet, here are the most expensive books ever sold. Only 48 copies of the original collection of 1450s printed books are still preserved.
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