Reading broadens the mind, makes the brain actively work, allows you to escape from everyday problems and have a good time. Not all the first century has known about all this humanity. What are some interesting facts about books? The answer to this question is proposed in this article.
Interesting Facts About Books
Papyrus Prissa is the oldest book, miraculously preserved to this day. The author created his work back in 3350 BC. The history of the book indicates that it was discovered in Thebes, where it was located in one of the pyramids.
Surprisingly, the topic that the author touches on is of interest to the inhabitants of the modern world. Priss in his work talks about the conflict of generations. The creator of the oldest book complains about the vices of the youth who lived at that time. He reproaches boys and girls for laziness and lack of education, ascribes various vices to them. Today, the papyrus is owned by the National Library, located in Paris.
Diamond Sutra
Interesting facts about the first printed book are also noteworthy. The Diamond Sutra, an Indian work translated into Chinese, is considered such. Chinese Wang Chi printed the essay on May 11, 868.
Amazing book is a scroll consisting of six sheets of text. There is also an engraving sheet depicting the Buddha. It is known that the Chinese craftsman worked for a long time on the creation of this work. The hieroglyphic stamps were made by the master from clay, then he burned them using a special stove. Several times it was necessary to re-start the creation of stamps, but Wang Chi was a stubborn person. The paper on which the Chinese stopped was strong and thick, as he strove for the long-term preservation of his book.
The invention of printing
It is known that the Johannes Gutenberg, a German , was the inventor of typography ; this happened around 1445. Gutenberg created not only a printing press, but also an alloy designed to create printed letters, a word-casting apparatus, a collapsible font. Also on his account is the development of a special composition of printing ink.
Gutenberg's Bible is the first printed book created by a brilliant German. This happened around the 50s of the fifteenth century. These were times when the church had great power. Not surprisingly, about a third of all first-printed books were devoted to religion. The first publishers did not seek a large number of copies - on average there were up to three hundred. In those years, books still lacked a title page. Information about the author, title of the work, year of publication and so on was offered at the end. Only by the end of the 15th century, this information began to be placed on the first page.
The Apostle is the first printed book published in Russia, information about which has survived to this day. This honor belongs to the printer Ivan Fedorov, who lived in Moscow. It is known that work on this work was completed in 1564. Fifty copies that have survived to this day are considered rare. The existence of books released before this event is not excluded.
The most distant book
The Bible is perhaps the most long-suffering work in the world that has survived to this day. The story of the book says that in 303 BC, King Diocletian ordered all members of the family to be killed if the Bible is found in the house. In 1229, a ban on reading this work for commoners was imposed by the Toulouse Cathedral. In 1793, the French government, advocating for the "kingdom of reason", actively fought the holy book. Those people who did not want to part with their faith were tortured to death. Surprisingly, this decree lasted about four years.
What more can you say about the Bible? For example, it is worth knowing that not one of the books that have ever existed has ever managed to repeat its popularity. This work has been in high demand for over two thousand years. A study conducted in 2013 showed that the Bible was published in 2056 languages and dialects, and in all there are no more than three thousand of them.
The Bible is not only a long-suffering work, but also a prophetic one. Scientists claim that over 3 thousand prophecies contained in the Holy Scripture have already become a reality.
About Libraries
Of course, there are other amazing facts about books that may interest readers. For example, in the old days books were exhibited on the shelves with roots inward. This was necessary due to the fact that the roots of the works did not differ in strength. If they were treated carelessly, they instantly came off, as a result of which the books scattered.
Centuries ago, reading was a costly hobby, and it was accessible mainly to wealthy people. Books that were in public libraries were impossible to steal. To protect the valuable volumes, long chains were used to secure them to the shelves.
Surprisingly, “bookworms” are not only people who cannot imagine life without reading. The insects that spoil the volumes do exist.
The biggest
Interesting facts about children's books cannot be ignored. It is to the youngest readers that the work "The World's Largest Book for Babies" is oriented. The brainchild of the publishing house "In" was born in 2004. The length of the miracle volume is six meters, the width is three meters. For comparison, the average room in a small apartment has the same dimensions. The impression is made by the weight of the book, which has 492 kg. It contains poems by famous Russian authors, and there are colorful illustrations.
Earlier, the status of the largest book in the world was possessed by Superbook, published in Denver back in 1976. The weight of the volume is 252 kg, it is inferior to the "World's Largest Book for Babies" and in terms of dimensions.
The smallest
The smallest book in the world is also considered a work intended for kids. This is a fairy tale "Old King Cole", published in 1985. The first thing that impresses is the size of the volume, which does not go beyond the millimeter squared. Obviously, reading a fairy tale without special equipment is not possible. In total, there are 85 copies of the "Old King Cole."
Other books included in the list of the smallest volumes in the world have similar sizes. For example, the French Constitution, the publication of the Qur'an, an English dictionary containing about 12 thousand words.
Amazing collections
Of course, unusual facts about books do not end there. It's no secret that they can not only be read, but also collected. An amazing collection compiled by the Italian Rio Coselli. This person dreams of acquiring all the most boring works in the world and has already achieved obvious successes in this field. His home collection contains more than ten thousand copies. Legend has it that a loser poet tried to get his hands on himself when he was informed that all of his creations are in the Coselli collection.
Book collections are collected in different ways; owners buy them, inherit them or as a gift. The most original way was chosen by Stephen Bloomberg, who simply stole rare works. It was established that the library, collected by the criminal, consisted of approximately 23 thousand copies. He was robbed of approximately 268 libraries. The cost of such a collection was about $ 20 million. Bloomberg was ready for anything to break into the next library. He even managed to get into the building through the elevator shaft, as well as use the ventilation system.
Our days
What interesting facts about modern books can be recalled? Studies have shown that the bulk of bookstore visitors are people who have already crossed the threshold of their forties. Moreover, most of this mass are women.
Interesting facts about books indicate that audio books are very popular these days. Few people know that they were invented by a person who dreamed with their help to support blind and visually impaired people. The demand for electronic books was predicted back in the sixties of the last century, this honor belongs to science fiction writers.
Scientists say that the reader’s interest in a particular work begins to decline even as he gets to page eighteen. However, there is a book that still has to be read to the end. It has a saying title: "A book that cannot know." The brainchild of an Argentine publishing house is really best to read right away. Otherwise, ink will disappear within two months, after which the reader will have to admire the blank pages.
What else do you need to know
What other interesting facts about books can I mention? The book, which has the most amazing title in the world, was released in 1633 in London. The title not only includes 45 lines, but also consists almost entirely of swear words. This is a critical work about the theater, therefore, the title contains abuse of actors and directors.