First book printed in US fetches record USD 14.2 million

America's first printed book - a tiny book of Psalms from 1640 - has become the world's most expensive printed book after it sold for a record-breaking USD 14.2 million at an auction here.
The Bay Psalm Book that went under the hammer yesterday at Sotheby's, New York, is one of 11 surviving copies of the first book to be printed in what is now the US.
The hymn book, which was bought for USD 14,165,000 by American businessman and philanthropist David Rubenstein, is one of two copies owned by the Old South Church in Boston.
It broke the previous auction record for a printed book, established in December 2010 at Sotheby's London when a copy of John James Audubon's Birds of America sold for USD 11.5 million.

"We are thrilled that this book, which is so important to our history and culture, is destined to be widely seen by Americans who can appreciate its singular significance," said David Redden, Director of Special Projects and Worldwide Chairman of Sotheby's Books Department.
"We are of course also thrilled to have achieved a new world auction record price for any printed book, which affirms that books remain a vital part of our culture," Redden said.

No example of the Bay Psalm Book has appeared at auction since January 1947, when another copy was sold at Sotheby's for USD 151,000 - at the time, this price marked a world auction record for any printed book.

When the Bay Psalm Book was first printed in 1640, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1,700 copies were made and few have survived.
The Bay Psalm book is a translation of the original Hebrew psalms into English by the Puritans who settled in Massachusetts Bay.
As early as 1636, the Puritans were discussing the need for a translation that would more exactly articulate the Hebrew text.
The leading scholars and ministers of Massachusetts Bay determined therefore to produce a new metrical translation.