Top 10 most expensive books in the world

In most cases, buying something to read is relatively cheap and people buy books for educational or entertainment purposes. They are made from inexpensive products such as paper and cardboard and are mass-produced to reduce production costs. People usually pay less than $20 to buy something for themselves, read their favorite authors, then put it on a shelf or give it to a friend.

Used books are really cheap because they are used goods. However, this is not always the case as there are some old books that are exceptionally valuable. Reasons for this are usually due to their age, because they were part of a limited edition, or because they are the only remaining example of a particular author’s work. The prices for such copies are staggering, and you might be surprised to find out how much enthusiasts are willing to pay at auctions for the most expensive books in the world.

10 Gutenberg Bible, $4,9 million

Gutenberg bible, published in the first half of the 1450s, also known as the 42-line bible, is the first book that started printing.

Approximately 180 original copies were made and only 31 remain in perfect condition. One of these copies was sold for 4,6 million euros at auction in 1987.

9. Bestiary of the Duke of Northumberland, $5,4 million

Bestiary of the Duke of Northumberland (written in 1250-1260 by an unknown author) is an amazing collection of animals, monsters, and moral tales from the mid-13th century.

On its beautifully illustrated pages you will find pictures and stories of hydras, satyrs, elephants, donkeys, panthers and monkeys. The book sold for $1990 million in 4,1, but it is currently owned by the J. Paul Getty Museum.

8. First Folio, $6,1M

«First Foliois a collection of Shakespeare’s plays, printed in 1623, just seven years after his death. Of the 750 original copies, only about 228 remain today. These copies are considered the longest-running work in English literature and are among the most popular books among collectors around the world.

William Shakespeare’s first book is one of the most coveted books in the English language. One copy sold at auction in New York for $6,166 million in 2001, and five years later, another copy fetched $5,153 million. In 2016, a set of the first four issues of Shakespeare’s first folios fetched $3,68 million at auction. Including the first edition of the first folio, which was previously not known to exist.

7. Canterbury Tales, $7,5 million

Extremely rare first edition of 1477 “Canterbury TalesGeoffrey Chaucer was sold for $7,5 million in 1998 to the late British billionaire and philanthropist John Paul Getty Jr. There are only a dozen known copies of the first edition.

6. Birds of America, $11,5 million

Copies of John James Audubon’s impressive four-volume illustrated “Birds of America”, the original of which was published in 1827, several times brought millions of dollars. In 2000, a Qatari prince and collector bought it for $8,8 million ($13 million today).

Another copy sold for $5 million in 2005 ($6,5 million today) and in 2010 the highest bid was $11,5 million ($13,5 million today). In 2012, another complete edition of Birds of America sold for $7,9 million ($8,75 million today), and another copy in 2018 for $9,6 million.

Adjusted for inflation, these copies of Birds of America sold a total of $50,6 million.

5. Rothschild’s Book of Hours, $13,9 million

Rothschild Book of Hours is a Flemish manuscript from the 16th century, adorned with incredible miniatures of Renaissance master paintings and embellished with gold. The book takes its name from the Rothschild family, who acquired the book sometime after 1868 (it is not known where it was in the previous 350 years).

In 1938 the book was stolen by the Nazis; four years later, Hitler donated it to the National Library in Vienna. Incredibly, the library refused to return it to the Rothschilds. Only in 1999 will the book be returned to its rightful owners.

The Rothschild prayer book was first sold to an anonymous buyer in 1999 for $13,38 million ($20,4 million adjusted for inflation). In 2014, it was sold again to billionaire Australian businessman Kerry Stokes for $13,9 million. Adjusted for inflation, the cost of the book has dropped by nearly $7 million.

4. Massachusetts Book of Psalms, $14,5 million

Massachusetts Book of Psalms was printed in 1640 and was the first book printed in British North America. In 1947, a copy of the Gulf Psalm Book – 11 of which are known – broke world records for the most expensive printed book when a copy sold at auction for $151 (today about $000 million). In 1,8, she went to auction again and broke her own record when billionaire David Rubenstein bought her for $2013 million.

3. St. Cuthbert’s Gospel, $15,1 million

The earliest intact European book was bought by the British Library in London in 2012 for $14 million after a successful fundraising effort.

Gospel of Saint Cuthbert was buried with its owner and writer, St. Cuthbert, who died in 687. The book is in amazingly good condition and still retains its obligatory and beautiful red cover despite being 1300 years old.

The gospel was discovered in 1104 when Cuthbert’s remains were transferred from the grave to the temple – and for some time he was used as a protective talisman.

By the early 17th century, the book was privately owned until it was donated to the Jesuit community in Belgium, where it remained for 250 years. You can see the book in the British Library’s online database of digitized manuscripts.

2. Gospel of Henry the Lion, $12,4 million

«Gospels of Henry the Lionis a light-colored romance book published sometime in the late 12th century and sold for $12,4 million in 1983. According to the New York Times, the value of the book was extremely high among the West German consortium, but they were willing to pay even more.

King Heinrich the Lion was a key figure in the founding of Germany, and bidders, including the German federal government and private patrons, pooled their money to bring this book home.

1. Code of Leicester, $30,8 million

«Code of Leicester» Leonardo da Vinci is the most expensive book ever sold. The 72-page linen manuscript includes Leonardo’s thoughts, theories, and observations about the world, such as the movement of water, fossils, and the luminosity of the moon.

In 1994, he was sold for $30,8 million to Bill Gates, who was not yet the richest man in the world – although he certainly was. After purchasing the Codex, he digitally scanned it and then released several images as screensavers and wallpapers for Windows 98 Plus. This is a real journey for a book written in 1510.