The Diamond Sūtra in Chinese language, complete with a beautifully illustrated frontispiece, is the world's earliest dated, printed book. It was produced on the 11 May 868, according to the Western calendar.
The Diamond Sutra is said to be the oldest printed book in history. Discovered in a holy site called the Mogao Caves or the Caves of a Thousand Buddhas, the purpose of this printed text was to spread the perfection of wisdom (British Library, n.d.). Constructed of scroll and use of moveable woodblock printing, the Diamond Sutra's printed text technology allowed generations of knowledge from Buddhist faith to be shared amongst the enlightened ones.
Johann Gutenberg’s Bible is probably the most famous Bible in the world. It is the earliest full-scale work printed in Europe using moveable type.
Another source of moveable printing types was the work of Johann Gutenberg. Although this printing technology was developed in earlier Asia, Gutenberg seized the opportunity into creating a unique invention that would change the production of literature around the world. "The British Library" (n.d.) states "his invention did not make him rich, but it laid the foundation for the commercial mass production of books, which subsequently meant that books soon became cheaper, and available to a much broader spectrum of society" (para. 3). Thus, led to his creation of the Gutenberg's Bible, printed in Mainz in 1455, the new technology allowed more copies to be printed without sacrificing the quality of work.
The Canterbury Tales is a poetical work of 24 stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer in the years 1387 to 1400.
One of my personal favorite printed texts of historical value is The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. His poetical work of 24 stories was written in Middle English and the book's popularity became England's first printer's priority to recognizing a business opportunity for printing with moveable type (The British Library, n.d.).
In my senior year of high school, this work was of high importance to the learning curriculum of my English class. It was mandatory that we memorize and recite the first paragraph of the prologue (18 lines) as part of our final exam. I bet if I think really hard, I could probably still complete this task.
The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue
Here bygynneth the Book of the tales of Caunterbury
Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote,
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licóur
Of which vertú engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open ye,
So priketh hem Natúre in hir corages,
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,
To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
And specially, from every shires ende
Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende,
The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.
(Chaucer, 1387/1400, lines 1-18)
References
The British Library. (n.d.). First printed edition of The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. British Library. https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/first-printed-edition-of-the-canterbury-tales
The British Library. (n.d.). Gutenberg Bible. British Library. https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/gutenberg-bible
The British Library. (n.d.). Printed copy of the Diamond Sutra. British Library. https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/the-diamond-sutra
Chaucer, G. (n.d.). The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue. Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43926/the-canterbury-tales-general-prologue
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