Do you ever walk past the windows of Tiffany’s or Armani just to drool over what’s behind those windows? Well, unless you’ve got $30 million burning a whole in your pocket and you want to spend it on books, this post is going to be kind of the same experience.
We’ll explore the 10 most expensive books ever sold and take a look at what makes them so valuable, bringing people like Bill Gates to spend tens of millions for a copy. You’ll find that most of the books on this list are extremely rare, but some are also incredibly important historical documents, which is why they’re so valuable.
Ready to do some bookstore window shopping?
What Is the Most Expensive Book Ever?
Here’s the most expensive book ever sold, with prices adjusted for inflation:
1. Codex Leicester by Leonardo da Vinci
Original price: $30.8 million
Inflation-adjusted price: $54.4 million
The most expensive book ever sold was the Codex Leicester, which was bought by Bill Gates in 1994 for $30.8 million, which is equivalent to about $54.4 million in 2021.
What’s so special about it? The Codex Leicester was essentially Leonardo da Vinci’s science diary. Created in 1510, it contains da Vinci’s drawings, theories, and observations on things like the movement of water, the luminosity of the moon, and why fossils of sea creatures can be found on mountains.
After his purchase, Gates had the Codex digitally scanned, then released some of the images as screen savers and wallpapers for Windows 98 Plus.
Browse more pages from the book here.
More of the Most Expensive Books
Below are 9 more of the most expensive books on record.
2. The Book of Mormon
Original price: $35 million
Inflation-adjusted price: $37.35 million
The Book of Mormon holds the current record for the most expensive religious text ever sold. In 2017, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints spent $35 million on a handwritten printer’s manuscript written in 1830. That text was used to print the earliest copies of the Book of Mormon.
3. The Gospels of Henry the Lion
Original price: $11.7 million
Inflation-adjusted price: $30.73 million
The Gospels of Henry the Lion held the title of the most expensive book in the world until Bill Gates purchased the Codex Leicester in 1994.
The gospel book was intended by Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony, for the altar of theVirgin Maryin theBrunswick Cathedral. It’s considered a masterpiece ofRomanesquebook illumination and is believed to date back to 1188.
It was sold by auction in 1983 to a group of bidders that included the German federal government and other private donors.
4. The Magna Carta
Original price: $21.3 million
Inflation-adjusted price: $26.9 million
Issued in 1215, the Magna Carta is a royal of charter of rights signed by King John of England. It was the first document to officially declare that the king and his government were not above the law. Its intention was to prevent monarchies from exploiting their power, and to place limits on royal authority.
David Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group, paid $21.3 million to ensure that a 1297 version of the historic document would stay in the United States, whose own government was heavily influenced by the principles laid out in the charter.
5. The St. Cuthbert Gospel
Original price: $14 million
Inflation-adjusted price: $15.95 million
The St. Cuthbert Gospel, the oldest preserved European book, was purchased in 2012 by the British Library in London for $14 million.
It had been buried with its writer, St. Cuthbert, in 687. It was rediscovered in 1104 when St. Cuthbert’s remains were moved from a grave to a shrine.
The book was owned privately for several centuries until it was donated to a Jesuit community in Belgium, where itremained for 250 years. The book is available at the British Library’s online digitized manuscripts database.
6. The Bay Psalm Book
Original price: $14.2 million
Inflation-adjusted price: $15.94 million
The Bay Psalm Book was the first book printed in British North America. It was published in 1640, twenty years after the first pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock.
Eleven copies are known to exist. In 2013, David Rubenstein bought one for $14 million. He frequently loans it out to libraries.
7. The Rothschild Prayerbook
The Rothschild Prayerbook is a 16th-century Flemishmanuscriptlined with gold and filled with paintings and illustrations by master Renaissance artists.
It’s named for the book wealthy Rothschild family that acquired it sometime after 1868. It’s not known where the book resided for the 350 years prior.
The book was stolen by the Nazis In 1938. Hitler gave it to the National Library in Vienna in 1942, but when the war ended the library refused to return it to the Rothschilds. It was finally returned to its rightful owners in 1999, and sold in 2014 billionaire Australian businessmanKerry Stokesfor $13.6 million.
Original price: $13.6 million
Inflation-adjusted price: $15.3 million
8. Birds of America by John James Audubon
Ornithologist and painter John James Audubon traveled across the United States studying native bird species and other wildlife, recording his observations and creating striking illustrations along the way.
His Birds of America is a four-volume masterpiece with only 119 copies in existence, most of which are owned by libraries and museums. The collection is revered by both naturalists and scientists, with many of Audubib’s names for species still used by researchers.
In 2010, the highest bid for one copy of Birds of America was $11.5 million.
Original price: $11.5 million
Inflation-adjusted price: $13.8 million
9. The Gutenberg Bible
Original price: $5.4 million
Inflation-adjusted price: $12.43 million
The Gutenberg Bible was the first complete book to be printed using moveable type, with Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press in 1455.
There are 49 Gutenberg Bibles known to exist, but only 21 are complete. Since Japan lacked a Gutenberg Bible, in 1987
You can flip through one of themat the University of Texas at Austin.
Since there was no Gutenberg Bible in Japan in 1987, a Japanese bookseller,the Maruzen Company, bought an incomplete copyfor $5.4 million.
10. The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Original price: $7.5 million
Inflation-adjusted price: $12 million
In 1998, British billionaire and philanthropist John Paul Getty Jr. bought an extremely rare 1477 first edition of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales for $7.5 million.Only 12 copies of the first edition are known to exist.
What Is the Rarest Book in the World?
One of the rarest books in the world is Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester, which is why it also tops this list as the most expensive. Bill Gates purchased the only known copy in 1994, but regularly lends it to libraries and museums.
A Book Lover’s Treasure
While most book lovers will never own a copy of these rare and most expensive books, you never know what rare finds you might stumble across in your closet, at a yard sale, or in your local used book shop. Check out our tips for finding and identifying rare books.
If you’re not exactly in the market for expensive books at the moment, we’ve got you covered with the best places to find cheap used books.
Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- How to Identify and Find Rare Books: Tips for Expanding Your Collection
- How to Find a Good Book: 10 Ways to Find Your Next Read
- Where to Sell Used Books: Sites and Stores That Will Give You Cash for Your Books
- Gifts for Book Lovers: 20 Fun Ideas for the Bookworms in Your Life
Kaelyn Barron
As a blog writer for TCK Publishing, Kaelyn loves crafting fun and helpful content for writers, readers, and creative minds alike. She has a degree in International Affairs with a minor in Italian Studies, but her true passion has always been writing. Working remotely allows her to do even more of the things she loves, like traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.
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