# What's the Oldest Book You've Read? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 18, 2008, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-book-youve-read/468473 "2008-10-18T00:45:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-book-youve-read/468473/41 "2008-10-19T00:59:38Z")
Euclid’s _Elements_, the oldest and longest-used textbook ever. It was actively used as a high school textbook up until the early 20th century, giving it a useful lifespan of 2200 years. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-book-youve-read/468473/42 "2008-10-19T01:08:02Z")
Old Testament Iliad Odyssey Antigone Oedipus Republic Analects of Confucius Beowulf Tale of Genji (often called the first novel, it’s turning 1000 years old right about now) ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-book-youve-read/468473/43 "2008-10-19T01:21:22Z")
I once read a diary of a churchwarden from Acle, Norfolk, England that was written in 1421. And when I mean “diary written in 1421” I mean the actual diary. Even if I wasn’t using it for my dissertation I would have thought it was rather neat. ---
**Author:** ![CaerieD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@CaerieD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaerieD)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-book-youve-read/468473/44 "2008-10-19T01:34:01Z")
In translation, Gilgamesh. In the original language, Beowulf, though I’m not sure how much that would count, since it’s not as though I was fluent. While I was able to grasp some on my own, I did have to keep checking other people’s translations and cross reference like a mofo. There wasn’t any project associated with it or scholarly study of Old English, though. It was purely for my own interest. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-book-youve-read/468473/45 "2008-10-19T06:04:03Z")
The Bible, The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Iliad. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-book-youve-read/468473/46 "2008-10-19T14:32:43Z")
Not sure which is older, Plato’s _Republic_ or _The Nichomachean Ethics_ by Aristotle. I’ve also read the Rig Veda which dates from about 1500 BCE. Obviously the Bible as well but who hasn’t read that? ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-book-youve-read/468473/47 "2008-10-19T14:45:12Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > Obviously the Bible as well but who hasn’t read that? I’ve never read the whole thing, FWIW. And I’d say there are countless Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, Atheists, etc etc who haven’t read it either… ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-book-youve-read/468473/48 "2008-10-19T14:48:01Z")
I read [this](http://wilder-clan.net/wilder_family/Family/Arizona%202003/day%203%20cave%20paintings%20004%20-%20story%20of%20killing%20and%20scalping%20elk.jpg) once, but it bored me to tears, and I really couldn’t get past _antelope._ ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-book-youve-read/468473/49 "2008-10-19T14:50:17Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > Not sure which is older, Plato’s _Republic_ or _The Nichomachean Ethics_ by Aristotle. I’ve also read the Rig Veda which dates from about 1500 BCE. Obviously the Bible as well but who hasn’t read that? Wasn’t Aristotle Plato’s pupil? So without looking it up, I’m betting Plato’s _Republic_ is older. I’ve not read the Bible. No real interest in it. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-book-youve-read/468473/50 "2008-10-19T15:03:44Z")
The Bible Caesar’s Gallic Wars Beowulf The Tale of Genji ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-book-youve-read/468473/51 "2008-10-19T16:07:18Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Wasn’t Aristotle Plato’s pupil? So without looking it up, I’m betting Plato’s _Republic_ is older. You’re right he was, which makes \*the Republic \*older. That said the Rig Veda is older than both of them. ---
**Author:** ![Panurge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-book-youve-read/468473/52 "2008-10-19T18:47:46Z")
Gilgamesh, the Rg Veda, the Greek epics, (most of) the Bible … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-book-youve-read/468473.md?page=2)