Where does this come from, and can I check it?

The scroll carries a printed colophon dated to the year 868 AD. The figure is taken from British Library, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a records & extremes fact?

Yes. It sits on the Records & Extremes shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

The Diamond Sutra is the oldest dated printed book

The scroll carries a printed colophon dated to the year 868 AD The scroll was found in the sealed caves at Dunhuang in western China and purchased by the archaeologist Aurel Stein in 1907. Its printed colophon states that it was commissioned for free distribution in the year 868, making it the earliest complete printed book with a date. It was produced by woodblock printing on paper, centuries before movable type reached Europe. It sits in Mondo's records & extremes collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

British Library

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Tags: printing, china, books

The Diamond Sutra is the oldest dated printed book: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: The scroll carries a printed colophon dated to the year 868 AD. The figure is taken from British Library, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a records & extremes fact?: Yes. It sits on the Records & Extremes shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.