A book is not just a collection of random letters printed on pages; it is a window to another world. A book can make readers imagine a whole new place and take them on an amazing journey. If you are a bookworm, then stick to this article as we will discuss the 20 Most Expensive Books in the World below.
There are many types of books, from fiction to drama to romance. And, in the world of literature, there are many famous authors and writers such as William Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, etc., and many more.
Let’s read further to know about the masterpieces written by legendary authors that have been sold for millions.
Here are the 20 Most Expensive Books in the World
20. A Treatise of Fruit-Trees- This amazing volume of five books was sold at the price of $3.7 million in the year 2006. Even though the volume is about fruit trees, the main thing that gives it this much value is the ‘421 watercolors’ made by Pierre Jean Francois Turpin and Pierre-Antoine Poiteau.
19. The First Atlas- This historical piece was written circa 150 A.D., and only three copies of ‘the First Atlas’ remain now. It is known by names such as “Geographia,” or “Cosmographia,” or “The Geography.” Greco-Roman Claudius Ptolemy is the writer of this book, and one of the three copies was sold for $3.9 million in the year 2006.
18. Tales of Beedle the Bard- The famous writer J.K. Rowling who introduced Harry Potter to the world, wrote another masterpiece, the ‘Tales of Beedle the Bard.’ In total, J.K. Rowling wrote 7 of these masterpieces, out of which only one was sold for $3.98 million in 2007. Rowling gave the other six as gifts.
17. Hours of Albrecht of Brandenburg- Written by the brilliant author Simon Benning, the ‘Hours of Albrecht of Brandenburg’ is a representation of Simon’s inspiring and reminiscent religious imagery style and was sold for $4.17 million.
16. Monypenny Breviary- While the author of this book is unknown to the world. All known about it is that it was owned by William Monypenny, an heir of the wealthy Monypenny family of Ardwenny. This book was sold at a massive prize of $6.3 million.
15. The Deeds of Sir Gillion de Trazegnies in the Middle East- Made in the year 1464, ‘The Deeds of Sir Gillion de Trazegnies in the Middle East is a romance story based on vellum sold for $7 million. The book was originally owned by Louis de Gruuthuse, then passed on to Louis XII of France, and after that, it was owned by William Cavendish.
14. The Northumberland Bestiary- This bestiary is a database that talks about various monsters, animals, and moral tales dating back to the mid-13th century. The first owner of this book was Robert Turges, and currently, J. Paul Getty Museum owns the book. The value of this book is $8.2 million. This manuscript has many pictures of apes, satyrs, elephants, hydras, panthers, and donkeys, along with the tales related to them.
13. Yongle Encyclopedia- The original Yongle Encyclopedia was made somewhere between 1405 to 1408. Though the original copy was never found, the manuscript that was created around 1562 and included only two volumes of the encyclopedia and was recently bought in the year 2020 by a Chinese collector for $9.3 million.
12. Shakespeare’s First Folio- The legendary writer Williams Shakespeare wrote many plays and is famous for his amazing books. His first folio, which was published in the year 1623, is a collection of various plays. The complete book was bought in the year 2020 for $10 million.
11. Bomberg Babylonian Talmud- The Babylonian Talmud is a part of 14 multi-volume sets that were made around the 16th century. This masterpiece was sold to an anonymous person in the year 2015 for around $10.2 million.
10. The Canterbury Tales- Canterbury Tales is a novel written by Geoffrey Chaucer and is quite popular. It is, in fact, a part of the syllabus of some education institutions. The first edition of this famous book that was written in 1477 was sold for a huge price of $7.5 million.
9. The Gutenberg Bible- The first-ever book to be printed from movable type was ‘The Gutenberg Bible.’ This book was published in the year 1455. This book comes in the category of books that changed the world. It was sold for around $12.4 million.
8. Birds of America- The set of 4 full-volume books known as ‘Birds of America’ was written by famous author John James Audubon. This beautiful book illustrates life-sized images of North American birds made by Audubon using watercolors. A copy of ‘Birds of America’ was sold for a whopping $13.8 million.
7. The Rothschild Prayerbook- This prayer book is a masterpiece written in the 16th-century. What’s so special about this prayerbook is the paintings made by master renaissance miniaturists and are lined with gold. It was sold for $15.3 million.
6. Bay Psalm Book- The first book ever printed in British North America was the ‘Bay Psalm Book.’ This piece of history was written in the year 1650. one of the eleven copies of this book was sold for $15.94 million.
5. St. Cuthbert Gospel- This ancient book was buried in the year 647 with its writer St. Cuthbert, ‘St. Cuthbert Gospel’ resurfaced many years later in 1104. This valuable piece of history was sold for $15.95 million.
4. The Magna Carta- An original copy of ‘Magna Carta’ out of was sold to David Rubenstein- the owner of Carlyle Group, for $21.3 million. It belonged to only 250 copies ever printed.
3. Gospels of Henry the Lion- Henry the lion was one of the very important German figures, and ‘Gospels of Henry the Lion’ is also an important figure. The book was published in the 12th century and was sold for $30.7 million in 1983.
2. The Book of Mormon- The printer’s manuscript of ‘The Book of Mormon’ is believed to be the copy of the manuscript that Joseph Smith- creator of Mormonism, dictated. It was sold for $37.5 million and is the second-most expensive book in the world.
1. Codex Leicester- The most expensive book in the world is the ‘Codex Leicester.’ It is a manuscript made by Leonardo da Vinci and contains his theories, thoughts, and what he observed about the world. It was sold for a gigantic price of $54.4 million.
This was our extensive list of the most expensive books in the world that can take you on a whole different reading experience.
