Oldest known book on display in London

[United Press International]

LONDON, May 8 (UPI) -- A book thought to be the oldest
surviving in the world has gone on display at London's British
Library, the BBC reported Saturday.
The Diamond Sutra, a Buddhist holy text dated A.D. 868, was
found in 1907 in a walled-up cave in Dunhuang, China, along with
other printed items. It consists of a scroll of paper printed with
Chinese characters, wrapped around a wooden pole.
The scroll forms part of the Library's Silk Road display,
which focuses on the art and culture of the region.
Although other printed items and manuscripts were discovered
in the cave, the Diamond Sutra is the earliest printed book to bear
a date.
The scroll was printed hundreds of years before moveable
type was invented in Europe. However, paper making and block
printing were already well established in China at the time.