British Library buys $14 million book.

All those late book fees can really pay off for a library.

The book? An early gospel of St. John placed in St. Cuthbert's coffin when Cuthbert died around the year 698. Fast forward a few hundred years and a few moves of the coffin, and someone decided to snatch the book in 1104 when Cuthbert's coffin was opened and--ta-dah!--the gospel of St. John was still in pretty snazzy shape.

Fast forward another 900 years, and you've got Europe's oldest known, fully-intact book, now selling for $14 million at auction--which will now be on display for users to gaze upon.

The real unanswered question here: who the hell's St. Cuthbert? That sounds like a made-up saint name, like he's a fashion designer on some Bravo reality show, focusing on matching yoga pants with business jackets.



photo: Reuters