Communication · 868 CE

Diamond Sutra (dated print)

The oldest surviving dated printed book, a 5-metre scroll from Dunhuang.

A woodblock-printed copy of the Diamond Sutra, dated to 868 CE, was found sealed in a cave at Dunhuang in 1900. Its fine illustration and text show that commercial-quality printing was already mature in Tang China, nearly six centuries before Gutenberg.

See it in the living treeWikipedia