The Irresistible Physicality of Books
The Most Expensive Book Around, Coffee-Stained Books, Reading in the Tub, Salvaging Wet Books, More
¶ The price of antiquity. A decade ago the British Library bought the St. Cuthbert Gospel, a seventh-century copy of John’s Gospel buried with the saint and preserved with its original red-leather cover. Assumed Europe’s oldest intact book, the gospel set back the institution $14 million. I mention the Cuthbert Gospel for the sake of comparison. The Cod…
