World's oldest book goes on sale for $2.6 million

A handwritten book from Egypt, belonging to the earliest Christian civilisations will go up for auction in June in London, at a staggering price of $2.6 million to $3.8 million, Times of India reported.

According to the Christie’s website, the Crosby-Schoyen Codex, is one of the oldest known books to exist. The ancient manuscript is written on papyrus in the Coptic language between 250-350 AD.

The manuscript consists of 104 pages or 52 leaves and contains epistles from Peter and the book of Jonah.

Senior specialist for books and manuscripts at Christies, Eugenio Donadoni, said that the text is of "monumental importance as a witness to the earliest spread of Christianity around the Mediterranean".

"The earliest monks in Upper Egypt in the earliest Christian monastery were using this very book to celebrate the earliest Easter celebrations, only a few hundred years after Christ and only a hundred or so years after the last Gospel was written."

The book was discovered in the 1950s and has since been part of the prestigious Shoyen Collection, owned by Norwegian collector Dr Martin Schoyen.

On June 11 it will go on sale, along with several other ancient manuscripts at the Christie’s, till then it is being displayed at Christie’s New York.