10 of the rarest books in history

Storytelling is an important part of human history. Our ancestors told stories, and these stories were passed down from generation to generation. With the introduction of the printing press in the 15th century, stories were printed in books and duplicated many times.

Today it is easy to find a copy of any book. You simply go to your local library or bookstore or order the book online. The books we have mentioned below are not so easy to find.

These are ten of the rarest books in history. They are rare because the author decided to print a smaller number of copies, copies got lost for history, etc. In any case, all the books on our list today have two things in common: they are historically or culturally significant and extremely hard. to find.

Related: 10 Absolutely Bizarre Books and Their Stories

ten Pride and Prejudice: Jane Austen

The first book on our list is by an iconic writer, Jane Austen. His most famous work, Pride and Prejudice, was written and published in the early 1800s. Like many classic works, it was not immediately well received. It was considered somewhat frivolous by scholars of the time.

Although the novel was considered unimportant at the time of its publication, Austen is now known as one of the most iconic female writers of all time, writing six complete novels. Originally, Pride and Prejudice was printed in three separate volumes. These first edition copies are among the rarest books in existence. The most recent sale of the first original edition Pride and Prejudice volumes was in 2010. At the time, the first edition was selling for nearly $180,000.

9 The Tale of Peter Rabbit: Beatrix Potter

A hundred years ago Harry Potter was a household name, another Potter was famous in children’s literature. In 1902, Beatrix Potter wrote and published The Tale of Peter Rabbit.>> The book itself is only fifty-six pages long. And like many of the books on this list, it has been reproduced numerous times.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit was printed in thirty-six languages ​​and sold over 40 million copies. However, the original first edition printing only created 250 copies. It was a deliberate choice by Potter, as she wanted to distribute her book to her family and friends. The location of all copies is unknown, but one of the originals sold in 2016 for over $50,000.

8 On the revolutions of the celestial spheres: Nicolaus Copernicus

Nicolas Copernicus is one of the fathers of modern astronomy. His theory of a heliocentric universe is the most notable impact he left on the scientific community. It is the idea that the Sun is the center of the universe. For centuries before that, astronomers agreed that Earth was the center of the universe (called the geocentric model).

At the time, Copernicus worried about his place in society and the reaction to his heliocentric model. After all, this type of thinking was considered heresy when he died. Thus, Copernicus published On the revolutions of the celestial spheres while he was on his deathbed. Currently, there are around 250 copies left, making them not only hugely influential but also quite rare. Historical libraries hold many copies, but for privately owned ones, the price can be as high as $2 million.

seven First Folio: William Shakespeare

When you think of books and stories, one man has more impact than anyone else: William Shakespeare. Much of its importance derives from its first leafcalled a few times Comedies, Stories and Tragedies by Mr. William Shakespeare. This book contains thirty-six plays written by Shakespeare, including some of his most famous: Storm, Romeo and Julietand A lot of noise for nothing.

Shakespeare’s first folio was printed in 1623, seven years after his death. Originally, only 750 copies were made from the folio. Of these, approximately 240 remain, making this iconic work of literature one of the rarest and most important books of all time. After all, many of these stories might have been lost to history forever if not for Shakespeare’s first folio.

6 Birds of America: James Audubon

The next book on this list is birds of americaoriginally written and illustrated by John James Audubon in 1820. birds of america contains beautiful drawings of 435 different birds. Although Audubon wrote the entire book and did the majority of the illustrations, his assistant (Joseph Mason) is said to have drawn around 50 background images.

One of the things about this book that makes it truly unique is that some of the birds in the book have since disappeared. Pictures from the book were sent as a subscription in the 19th century. There is a complete set in Orange, Texas at the Stark Museum of Art. This is Audubon’s personal copy. The exact number of extant copies is debated, although it is probably between one and two hundred.

A complete copy can sell for between $8 million and $12 million. birds of america is a beautiful book describing specific feathered creatures in early America, so it’s easy to see why it’s so rare and valuable.

5 Tamerlane and Other Poems: Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe is known for his chilling tales with a huge legacy. The crow and The Revealing Heart are two of his most famous works. Sadly, Poe passed away at just forty, with little recognition for his talent. All his notoriety came only after his death.

A collection of his works Tamerlane and other poems, printed only fifty copies for the first edition. Scholars began to seek out his other works as Poe’s legend grew after his death. A first edition of Tamerlane and other poems sold in 2009 for over $600,000. The collection itself has only about forty pages.

Poe’s life story is very similar to many of his stories and poems. It’s dark and twisted that he didn’t get the recognition he deserved in his lifetime and will never know the impact he had – and will continue to have – on literature. Currently, complete copies of the first edition of Tamerlane and other poems can be found at the Huntington Library in New York (not available initially, so don’t get confused!) and the Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond, Virginia.

4 The Gutenberg Bible

Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 15th century in Mainz, Germany. The first book printed on the press was the Bible. So technically, the “Gutenberg Bible” is the first mass-produced book in the history of the world. Before that time, books were copied by hand or by other inefficient processes.

In 1440 Gutenberg initially printed around 175 copies. Since then almost all copies have been lost (or the location is not publicly known). It is said that there are about 25 complete copies in existence today, with 10 in the United States and 14 or 15 in Germany. In 1978, a complete copy of Gutenberg’s Bible sold for over $2 million. In 1988, an incomplete copy sold for over $5 million.

Incredibly, because these prints are so rare, even single pages of a Gutenberg Bible have sold for $100,000 or more. This book is unique on our list because it is not its content that makes it rare (after all, the Bible is the most copied book in history), but the method by which the copies were made.

3 Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: Lewis Carroll

There are 22 copies of the first edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Only six of them are in private hands, while the others are kept in prestigious libraries. This book was written by Carroll, with illustrations by John Tenniel, in 1865.

The book was originally supposed to have two thousand copies, but a new edition was created because Tenniel was unhappy with the copying of his work. Before the first original version was printed, Carroll gave copies of the book to close friends and family. This explains why the prints of the first edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland are so rare, going for a price of over two million in 2006.

At just 200 pages, this book has endured and inspired many movies, TV shows, and more. If you had told Lewis Carroll that a single copy of his book would be worth over $2 million, he might have thought he had slipped into “wonderland” himself!

2 The Canterbury Tales: Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is a book that has stood the test of time. It features nine stories of different people in the 15th century. Each story is told by a specific character as they all travel to Canterbury, such as “The Knight’s Tale”, “The Friar’s Tale”, “The Squire’s Tale”, etc.

The original first edition print of The Canterbury Tales date from 1477. To date, only 12 of these original prints are accounted for. The most recent sale of an original print was in 1998. Around this time, Sir Paul Getty bought the first edition for around $4.5 million. Because the original print is so old, these books will become increasingly rare (and more expensive) over time.

1 The Leicester Codex: Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci is known for many things. He was a prolific inventor, astronomer, mathematician, philosopher and writer. his personal diary, The Leicester Codexcontains many of his personal scientific observations.

Some of the topics covered in this book include water, air, fossils, astronomy, etc. The Codex Leicester is the rarest book on this list and exists because only one copy exists. After da Vinci’s death, his personal notebook was transmitted to various consequent people. First it went to Guglielmo della Porta, then Giuseppe Ghezzi, followed by the first Earl of Leicester, Thomas Coke.

The Codex remained in the custody of the Leicester Earls until American Armand Hammer bought it in 1980. Fourteen years later another American businessman, Bill Gates, bought it for over 30 million dollars. He is the current owner of The Codex Leicester. The book itself has only eighteen handwritten leaves, which means Gates paid $1.6 million per page.