"The Gutenberg Gospel" and Christopher Columbus's Memoirs in "Abu Dhabi Books"

Polish publishing house displays rare manuscripts

The physical value of the manuscripts ranged from 3,000 to 30,000 euros.

Photography: Eric Arazas

The Polish house, Manscriptum, displays a collection of rare manuscripts in its participating pavilion at the Abu Dhabi Book Fair. The material value ranged between 3000 and 30 thousand euros. Among the most prominent and most expensive of these pieces is the "Gutenberg Bible", which is a copy of about 180 copies of the Bible consisting of two volumes, printed by Gutenberg, who is credited with inventing the first practical method of printing in the world, in the years 14532-1435, and the presented copy is unique. Because it contains what is called a "typo," it is represented by the reflection of the metal stripes on one of the cards, which may have fallen unintentionally from the hand of the printing press. The copy is covered in a beautifully detailed cover, a copy similar to that made by Henrik Koster of Lübeck in the 15th century, bound with oak panels covered with burgundy leather, and the manuscript is sold with a wooden box, notarized certificate, work attachment and gloves for 30,000 euros.

The house also displays the "Voynich Manuscript", which is considered the most mysterious book in the world. It is a leather-wrapped parchment manuscript. It originally consisted of 136 paper cards written on both sides (272 pages, of which 120 pages have been left to date measuring 15 x 22.5. Cm (6 x 9 inches), covered with drawings, diagrams, and incomprehensible handwriting, and its name goes back to the Polish explorer Michao Voynich, a famous antiquities collector, who in 1912 bought the manuscript from a villa near Rome, and the manuscript is considered to this day one of the most written monuments Handwriting was an ambiguity in the Middle Ages because its author, writing, and language are still unknown.Research on the parchment on which the manuscript was written using radiocarbon dating from 2009 to 2011 at the University of Arizona showed that the manuscript dates from between 1404 and 1438. The manuscript is sold at a price of 3000. euro.

Whereas, the house offers the "Zivosky manuscript" at a price of 11,000 euros. It is considered the most important book in the Western world on Arab culture, and focuses on horse breeding. The manuscript contains more than 400 colored drawings that are a source of research on local culture and customs.

Christopher Columbus

Exhibits include the memoirs of the famous traveler Christopher Columbus and his letters to the rulers of Spain, about his most important travels through which he discovered the New World, and they also sell for 8,000 euros.

In addition to papyri from the Pharaonic "Book of the Dead", which describes the form of life after death and how a person is tried after his death, where he is judged according to the weight of his heart, and the price is 10 thousand and 600 euros.

Heliocentrism

The house displays the book “On Transformations” by Nicolaus Copernicus who worked to prove the heliocentric theory. The book is presented in a unique edition with a cover completely covered with precious 24-carat gold, and on it appears a well-known picture of Nicolaus Copernicus, such as the one in the city center of Torun (and a drawing of the The solar Copernicus, with more than 320 gemstones adorning the book, it sells for 8,000 euros.

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