
Europe’s Oldest Intact Book Was Preserved and Found in the Coffin of a Saint - howrude
http://www.openculture.com/2018/09/europes-oldest-intact-book-preserved-found-coffin-saint.html
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robbrown451
Note that this is rather old news, it was actually some time ago that the
coffin was opened and the book was found. (in the year 1104)

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acheron
If this is something that interests you, the recent book _Meetings with
Remarkable Manuscripts_ is very good. This book is not covered, but the Codex
Amiatinus also mentioned in the article is.

[https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/316549/meetings-
wit...](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/316549/meetings-with-
remarkable-manuscripts-by-christopher-de-hamel/)

~~~
cmroanirgo
It's a play on the title _Meetings with Remarkable Men_?

[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079542/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079542/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

Personally, I'd call what came out of the Nag Hammadi remarkable. Another edge
case that I'm reading is The Kolbrin (it's authenticity is in question, but
it's words are very inspiring) [0]

And of course, the Pistis Sophia, whose opening line is:

"IT came to pass, when Jesus had risen from the dead, that he passed eleven
years discoursing with his disciples, and instructing them..." [1] [2]

The first few chapters are full of hard to read symbolism, but there's a lot
to absorb in there.

[0]
[https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/hercolobus/kolbrin_00.htm](https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/hercolobus/kolbrin_00.htm)

[1] [http://gnosis.org/library/pistis-
sophia/](http://gnosis.org/library/pistis-sophia/)

[2]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistis_Sophia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistis_Sophia)

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carapace
In case it's not obvious, the book in the photo at the top of the article is
NOT the St. Cuthbert Gospel. (You don't hold a thousand-year-old book in your
bare hand.)

The actual book (scans) can be seen through the link at the bottom, of the
article:
[http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Add_MS_890...](http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Add_MS_89000)

The calligraphy is really beautiful.

\- - - -

Edit: Well, shut my mouth. I guess I was wrong.

But the calligraphy really is beautiful. And that cover is insanely well-
preserved.

Sorry for the noise.

~~~
dmckeon
Recent preferences are for clean dry bare hands for old books:
[http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Add_MS_890...](http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Add_MS_89000)

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tempodox
I always enjoy seeing historical texts in the original. The collection of
scans referred to in the end is fascinating.

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pmorici
Is this older than the Book of Kells or is the fact that it is so well intact
the remarkable thing?

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aibara
The book in the article is approximately 70 to 100 years older than the Book
of Kells. There are many books that are even older. What makes this one
special is that it has not been rebound, as the Book of Kells and most
medieval codices have been.

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bediger4000
What's the copyright status of this? It's European, so I assume that the Berne
Convention holds.

~~~
throwaway2048
Wouldn't want to deprive their great*36 grandchildren their rightful profit
from this work, nobody would have any incentive to create at all otherwise

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bayesian_horse
A book to die for?

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pinkflounder
Stonyhurst College represent

