Rare Gospel purchased by British Library

The British Library has bought Europe’s oldest intact book for £9 million, saving it from the possibility of being sold to an overseas buyer.

The St Cuthbert Gospel is a copy of the Gospel of St John that was produced in north-east England in the late 7th century and placed on St Cuthbert’s coffin on Lindisfarne around the year 698.

The manuscript is bound in red leather with a beautifully worked front cover.

It was secured through the British Library’s largest ever fundraising campaign. Read more