The first printed book is a complicated question, as it depends on the definition of “print” and “book”. The Chinese Diamond Sutra is the oldest surviving example of a woodblock print, while movable type was likely invented in China in the 11th century. The Jikji, printed in Korea in 1377, is the oldest surviving example of non-metal type. The true identity of the first printed book may never be known, but exploring the history of printing and its impact is interesting.
There are a number of contenders for the title of “the world’s first printed book”. The answer to this question is actually quite complicated because it depends on what you mean by “print” and by “book”. Historical evidence strongly suggests that the identity of the first book in print will probably never be known, because it is unlikely to have survived to the present day. There’s also a great deal of cultural bias in the answer to this question, as some authorities commonly cite Western texts such as the Gutenberg Bible, while other experts argue that Asia would be the more likely point of origin.
Define the question
When determining the identity of the first printed book, it is important to define “print”. Simply transferring words or symbols onto paper, clay, fabric, and other materials is thousands of years old and could be called a form of printmaking. For example, the Egyptians and Sumerians used clay tablets and papyri for writing. Many people define printing, however, as a much newer mass production process that uses plates, blocks, movable type or other media, which can be used to transfer ink to a surface over and over again, mechanizing the process and obtaining large numbers of copies. It is also important to note that many early printed books were not fully printed, with most being illuminated and rubriced – decorated and with added red text – by hand after the printing process had finished.
Beyond that, others will argue about the definition of the word “book.” Should it consist of several pages bound to the cover and spine, like a modern book, or might a scroll or set of engraved tablets be suitable? There really isn’t a right or wrong answer to this question. Perhaps a more practical approach would be to consider volume length, as most would consider a book to be of greater length than, say, a proclamation or a letter.
Woodblock print
If the woodcut is included, a Chinese translation of the Diamond Sutra is the oldest surviving example of a printed book. Woodcut is an ancient process that requires laboriously hand carving a block of wood for each page of the book. A copy of this book in the British Library dates to the year AD 868. There’s a catch, however; other block-printed editions are probably older, but undated, making the Diamond Sutra the earliest printed book with a verifiable date, not the oldest printed book, and certainly not the first. It is estimated that the first examples of woodcuts date back to 220 AD
Movable type printing
Some people prefer to use movable type as a distinction when dating the first printed book, arguing that the development of movable type was a huge leap in printing technology that revolutionized the ability to mass-produce books. With movable type, each letter or character is separate, allowing the printer to set type in lines or pages, print the material, then break up the type and reuse it. With a movable type set, the need to hand carve wood blocks is eliminated and you can print much faster.
Evidence suggests that ceramic movable type was invented in China by Bi Sheng around the year 1040. Unfortunately, no surviving printed books from this period have been found. It’s pretty clear that if the Chinese invented movable type, however, they were probably putting it into practice. That means the oldest printed book is likely an 11th-century Buddhist religious text, though researchers don’t know which. Sheng’s type did not hold up well, according to contemporaries, and the concept was abandoned, with the Chinese reverting to woodblock printing.
Non-metal type
In Korea, someone took note of the Chinese explorations of movable type and developed nonmetal type around the same time. Researchers believe that Koreans were printing books with movable type as early as the 1200s, with the earliest surviving printed volume with metalloid type being the Jikji, printed in the year 1377. It was more than 70 years before Johannes Gutenberg managed to print his famous Bible in 1455 in Germany. Gutenberg is traditionally credited with inventing this printing method.
Learn from this debate
The true identity of the first printed book may never be known unless researchers discover a well-preserved copy with an accompanying discussion of the date and printing techniques. It is interesting, however, to explore the history of printing and its impact on the world. It is also revealing to observe the history of crediting things invented in the East to developers in the West; in the case of printing, it’s entirely possible that Gutenberg independently came up with the idea of movable type, meaning that the Chinese and Gutenberg are both credited with inventing it. It’s also possible that Gutenberg heard of Chinese and Korean experiments with movable type and decided to try it himself.
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