(classical music)
- Hey, Brain Stuff,
it's me, Cristen Conger.
Sometimes I like to imagine
that long after I'm dead,
a wealthy philanthropist is going to buy
my diary for millions of
dollars and lend it to museums
across the planet.
Then everyone would finally know
the answer to today's question:
what is the most expensive
book in the world?
Something by William Shakespeare?
The Necronomicon?
Twilight: New Moon?
Well, it depends on if the
book is printed or handwritten.
If we're talking about books that
have had multiple copies printed,
then the answer is the Bay Psalm Book,
which sold for more
than 14 million dollars
in November of 2013.
It was originally printed by Puritans
in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1640.
Seeking religious freedom, these settlers
wanted their own translation
of the Old Testament
and today there are only
eleven copies remaining
and it's considered the first
book printed in America.
But, if we include one of
a kind, handwritten texts,
then the Bay Psalm book isn't
even worth half the value
of the most expensive book ever sold.
That title goes to Leonardo
da Vinci's Codex Leicester,
which sold for 30.8
million dollars in 1994
to a little known computer programmer
by the name of Bill Gates.
Adjust that amount for inflation,
and today the Codex is worth
almost 50 million dollars.
It's an unbound, 72 page notebook
filled with da Vinci's
drawings and thoughts,
mainly about how to move water.
Yeah, the most expensive book in the world
is basically a plumbing manual.
More on that in a minute.
A lot of da Vinci's writings
was lost to history,
Almost half of it.
So the Codex Leicester is mainly important
because it's a single
collection of his focused ideas.
The Codex is written like
many of da Vinci's works,
in something called mirror hand.
All of the letters are reversed
and it's written from right to left,
so the only way you can read it
is when it's held up to a mirror.
And you probably need a fluency
in antiquated Italian as well.
So, it's a book about water
that's written backwards.
Well, to be fair, that's
oversimplifying things a bit.
Really, da Vinci was trying to figure out
how to harness the power of moving water.
He's particularly interested
in the fluid mechanics
of how water moves around obstacles.
This manuscript was
first purchased in 1717
by a guy named Thomas Coke,
who later became the Earl of Leicester,
hence the title Codex Leicester.
But in 1980, an art
collector named Armand Hammer
bought it, changing its name
to the Badass Codex Hammer.
But this only last fourten years,
until Gates bought it and
changed the name back.
Thanks a lot, Bill Gates.
Actually, Gates seems genuinely inspired
by da Vinci's example of pushing himself
to find more knowledge.
He's even loaned the book
to a number of museums over the years
so it can be viewed and
studied by the public.
So that's the most
expensive book in the world.
For now.
Until the Codex Conger hits
the Sotheby's auction block.
And while we're waiting for that moment
of history to happen,
why don't you tell me
what your favorite book is
and what's the most you
ever paid for a book?
And if you want to learn more about
books, rich people, and plumbing,
don't forgot to subscribe to our channel
or visit our headquarters
at howstuffworks.com.
