1. the declaration of independence
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The original Declaration of Independence, signed by Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams, is easily one of the rarest and most sought after documents of all time. only 200 copies were printed on July 4, 1776, and only about 26 copies survive to this day. fun fact: one of the copies was discovered behind a painting that was bought at a flea market for only $4! given that the document is worth around $9 million, that’s quite the heist!
2. shakespeare first folio
William Shakespeare’s works are among the most influential in the world and continue to hold a high precedence in Western literature 400 years after his death in 1616. His First Folio is so rare because it is the first authorized collection of his works. , compiled by his friends and business associates who helped run his theater company. Approximately 750 copies were printed between 1622 and 1623. The First Folio contains 36 plays, originally with many typographical errors, and is preferred by most theater companies to modern versions of Shakespeare’s plays.
3. Gutenberg’s Bible
The Gutenberg Bible, printed in 1440, is the first book to be printed on a printing press (by Johannes Gutenberg). To add to its uniqueness, the book was originally printed in folio form or as loose-leaf pages that the owner then bound according to his preference. only 48 copies remain, and in 2007 a single sheet of one went on sale for $74,000.
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4. the birds of america
birds of america is the result of legendary naturalist james audubon’s determination in 1820 to illustrate, in detail, all the birds of north america. And so he created a series of beautiful paintings entitled The Birds of North America and mailed them to his subscribers one by one between 1827 and 1838.
5. leicester codex
the leicester codex is a record of the scientific observations of one of the greatest minds that ever lived, leonardo da vinci. the 72-page manuscript is compiled from mental notes on his ideas from medical observations, futuristic inventions, and more. because the notebook is unique, there are no other copies and it was already bought by bill gates in 1994 for more than $30 million. He’s exhibiting in various cities across the US, so keep an eye out for him in his hometown!
6. don quixote
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra published the first Don Quixote de la Mancha in 1605. The first edition last changed hands in 1989 for $1.5 million and is not very easy to find these days. new translations of the book come out every 20 years or so. the first illustrated edition of don quixote translated into english is available from us.
7. tamerlane and other poems
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Edgar Allen Poe, one of the first American poets, published his first collection of poems anonymously. Tamerlane and Other Poems was supposedly not very good, but only 50 copies were printed. collectors are interested in poe’s anonymity value: the book’s publisher is listed in print simply as “a bostonian”.
8. Ptolemy’s cosmographia geography
Ptolemy, who lived around AD 100, contributed some of the most influential scientific discoveries in history. Although printing was not invented during his lifetime, he hand-drawn a map manual that portrayed the world as he knew it at the time. Current geographic maps are wildly inaccurate, but they remain an important resource on the European worldview at that time period. his model of a geocentric universe, in which the sun and planets revolve around the earth, outlived him and was considered fact for 1,400 years.
9. on the revolutions of the celestial spheres
Another great book of scientific discoveries is that of Copernicus on the revolution of the celestial spheres. this book contained the realization of a heliocentric universe, one where the sun, not the earth, is the center of our solar system. this affected every institutional understanding of the world, from religion to science and philosophy. To avoid the consequences of being accused of heresy in his lifetime, Copernicus waited until he was on his deathbed before publishing his findings. today only 260 copies of On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres remain, each worth approximately $1-2 million.
10. the tales of beedle the bard
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In the latest Harry Potter book, Albus Dumbledore bequeaths Hermione the first edition of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a book about magical bedtime stories and folklore that lead to the discovery of the Deathly Hallows. the fictional book became such a hit that j.k. Rowling illustrated and published 7 handmade copies, decked out in leather and silver jewellery, earning them the name of the Moonstone Edition. She gave 6 to the people who helped make the Harry Potter series so successful and sold the last one to benefit the Children’s Voice charity.