Expensive Books sold, Why?, and Author's life Part-1
Books are helpful in life, this thing you all know but you tell me how person can love the book that the person can pay millions of dollars/ rupees. Yeah from this blog I am going to tell you about the Expensive Books sold, what is the value & why they are that much expensive.
10. The Canterbury Tales
Author: Geoffrey Chaucer
Original Price: $ 7.5 million ₹ 55.81 Cr.
Inflation-adjusted price: $ 12 million ₹89.30 Cr.
Price of this book is amazing, if the 10th number book price is this then think the price of 9,8,…1. Now, let’s see why they are that much expensive.
Why:
An extremely rare 1477 1st edition of Geoffrey Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales” sold for $7.5million(₹ 55.81 Cr.) in 1998 to the higher bidder, the late British billionaire & philanthropist John Paul Getty Jr. There are only a dozen known copies of the 1st edition in existence.
Author life:
Geoffrey Chaucer was born in 1342 in England, Chaucer’s father mainly made a living by producing wine. In 1359 Chaucer sent to fight in long-running 100 years war between England & France. During the war he was captured by French soldiers. King Edward III of England seen something be like in young Geoffrey Chaucer, so he paid ransom & negotiate & in 1360 he released by France. As a servant to the nobility in England, Geoffrey continued work & his rank increased from servant to Valet. As a Valet, he was sent as a messenger in many countries including Italy. This travel allowed him to come in contact with great works of literature & poetry that would influence his own writing. He married with Philippa de Roet in 1366. She was sister-in-law of John of Gaunt, Geoffrey’s greatest patron in England. He began to climb the ranks of Civil Service of England. He became comptroller of customs & subsidies of London in 1374, later he promoted to position of comptroller of Pretty Customs. In 1385 he was appointed as Justice of Peace for Region of Kent, then he became a Knight of the Shire (for Kent) in 1386, he always avid reader of multiple languages. In addition to English, he was also well versed in Latin, French & Italian. His greatest inspiration sources were from French & Italian, especially Giovanni Boccaccio of Italy. In 1369 when he was on military service in France, from there he inspired to begin his literary career. First he translated medieval French classic, the Roman De La Rose into English. The same year however his great patron John of Gaunt, temporarily left country, causing Chaucer’s position to be usurped by other more favored with members of court. Through that he got lots of free time he began to assemble his best known collection poet- The Canterbury Tales. Many poems included The Canterbury Tales written earlier during Chaucer’s life. He used his free time while John of Gaunt was out of England to compile the various poems into a single framework. When John of Gaunt return in 1389, Chaucer gave him back his former position but he continued work on his great poetic achievement. When in 1400 he died, he still had not finished the Canterbury Tales. He planned include 30 pilgrims telling 4 stories each but stories from only 24 were completed. During his lifetime he also wrote The Book of the Duchess, ABC of the Virgin, House of Fame, The Parliament of Fowls, The Legend of the Saints of Cupid & Troilus & Criseyde.
9. The Gutenberg Bible
Author: Johann Gutenberg
Original Price: $ 5.4 million ₹ 40.18 Cr.
Inflation-adjusted price: $ 35 million ₹260.47 Cr.
Why:
It is a completely books printed from movable type in 1455, it was one of the books that changed the world. There was no Gutenberg Bible in Japan in 1987, the Maruzen Company, a Japanese bookseller, purchased an incomplete copy for $5.4million(₹ 40.18 Cr.). There are 49 Gutenberg Bible known to exist, but only 21 are complete. You can flip through one of them at the University of Texas at Austin.
Author life:
Johann Gutenberg was born in 1394 in Mainz, Germany. His father name was Friele Gensfleisch Zur Laden & mother name was Else Wyrich. His father was a wealth cloth merchant. He was youngest son in the family there has very little record about Johann Gutenberg. Some historians speculate that he studied at the University of Erfurt at some point in 1468. His family left Mainz in 1428 due to a ranging power struggle between the politician & the yield in the city. In Strasbourg, France he started working in jewellery industry & specialized to cutting gems. He claimed that his idea of movable type printing had come to him in a moment of light or what he called a ‘pay of light’. In 1440 in Strasbourg, Gutenberg 1st introduced with revolutionary concept of printing with his partners. The important portion of his life was from 1444 to 1448 which is not recorded, his brother-in-law gave him a loan to start his own business & it speculated that it might have been for a printing press. Also use for goldsmith business. In 1450 he opened a printing press. In 1452 he opened a workshop where he decided to print the bible which was a profitable venture. In Johann Gutenberg press he published run of mill books like textbooks in Latin or Church indulgences. In 1455 he printed his 1st copy of Bible which known as Gutenberg’s Bible. He printed 180 copies. He said it does not seem like a venture that would have brought him a huge amount of profit. In 1456, Gutenberg’s main financial packer Johann Fust sued him for misappropriation of funds & in an unfortunate turn of events. Gutenberg’s lost the court battle, he had run out of money due to the Bible project & addition that printing workshop turned over to Johann Fust. It is also speculation that he got married but it is not known if he had any child or not. Gutenberg’s invention of movable printing technology completely ignored Johann Fust who took over his printing press in 1465. Gutenberg was honored with title Hofmann which meant Gentleman of the Court. And he died in 1468.
8. Birds of America
Author: John James Audubon
Original Price: $ 11.5 million ₹ 85.58 Cr.
Inflation-adjusted price: $ 13.8 million ₹ 102.70Cr.
Why:
He beautifully illustrated awe-inspiring 4-volume set. Also the prints were extremely large & had to be hand-colored by a team of painters, the cost of creating the original set was exorbitant. In 2000 Qatari Prince & art collector purchased one copy in $8.8 million(₹ 65.48 Cr.).
Author life:
He was born on April,27,1785 in Les Cayes, Haiti. He lived in France till about at age of 17 when he came to U.S.(United States) in 1803. He was great conversationalist & fantastic artist & ornithologist. He was 1st great ornithological artist. His mother died soon & his father grew nourished in port city of Nantes, Western France. His father was a sea captain, he also went with him that is why he lover for out-of-doors. He became quite successful businessman & running a shop in Louisville, U.S. He opened number of different concerns. In 1819 all of those bankrupt & it is that point of time when he decided that he is going to create this compendium of all the birds of America. He was very self-sufficient. In beginning, he had difficulty finding support among the American scientific or artistic community to find a printer. He had to go Europe where he was known & could invent himself it really is not until starts donning his American woodsman outfit those people start notice to him. When he came back U.S. in 1829 he was embraced by American scientific community who had ignored him earlier even before the last plate was off the press. In 1838 Birds of America completed. Audubon conceived a notion of producing a much smaller version of the Birds Of America. In 1840 he began work on octavo edition which is popular edition he also embarked to draw all the quadrupeds of America & that really occupied him for the rest of his active life. He started to having mental & wellness problems in 1845 and he died in 1851.
7. The Rothschild Prayer book
Author: Anselm Von Rothschild
Original Price: $ 13.6 million ₹ 101.21 Cr.
Inflation-adjusted price: $ 15.3 million ₹ 113.86 Cr.
Why:
It is a 16th century Flemish illuminated manuscript filled with incredible paintings by master Renaissama miniaturists & lined with gold. The book takes their name from wealthy Rothschild family, who acquire book sometime after 1868. It is unknown where it has been in the prior 350 years. In 1938 it was stolen by Nazis. 4 years later, Hitler gave it to the National library in Vienna. Incredibly, the library refused to return it to the Rothschild. It was not until 1999 then the book would be returned to its rightful owners. The 1st sold to an anonymous bidder in 1949 in $13.38million(₹ 99.57 Cr.). It sold again in 2014 to billionaire Australian business man Kenny Stokes in $13.6 million(₹ 101.21 Cr.).
Author Life:
Anselm Von Rothschild was born on 1803 in Frankfurt, Germany. He was the 1st generation of Rothschild family firm. His general education in Berlin University was brought to a fairly swift conclusion so that he might focus his mind more closely on matters of business. Family fears that he might pursue other careers no doubt stemmed from his many talents. Anselm’s introduction to business was in Paris, where he served as his Uncle James’s apprentice. He entered family Partnership in Frankfurt & married into the English house on Sep./11/1826, taking his bride Charlotte, the oldest daughter of Nathan. His father’s Viennese house cam under his complete control after upheavals of 1848. Anselm collected a large number of honorary titles but like his cousins, he was able to participate in political life & in 1861 became a member of the Imperial House of Lords in Vienna. His contribution to Viennese life was prodigious: numerous medals, artistic & general social foundations owed their existence to his generosity. Members of his family remembered Anselm’s wit imagination & amusing talk. His son Ferdinand thought that his father’s collecting tastes were rather underdeveloped, but Anselm’s Dutch painting provided a valuable source of instruction for his children. He died in 1874.
6. Bay Psalm Book
Author: This book is contributed by approximately 30 clergymen Richard Mather, John Eilot & Thomas Welde were its primary authors.
Original Price: $ 14.2 million ₹ 105.67 Cr.
Inflation-adjusted price: $ 15.94 million ₹ 118.62 Cr.
Why:
It was printed in 1650, 20 years after settler landed at Hymouth Rock, The Bay Psalm Book was the 1st book printed in British North America. In 1947 a copy of The Bay Psalm Book-11 copies exist, broke world record when a copy of its sold at auction for $1,51,000(₹1.12 Cr.). It 2013, it sold it again at auction this time for much more. Billionaire American businessman David Rubenstein purchased it for $11 million (₹ 81.86 Cr.). He has since loaned it out to various libraries.
