The Diamond Sutra is the oldest complete dated printed book
documentary reproduction of the frontispiece and adjoining Chinese text of the British Library's dated *Diamond Sutra* scroll, accession Or. 8210/P.2. Original page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diamond_Sutra_of_868_AD_-_The_Diamond_Sutra_(868),_frontispiece_and_text_-_BL_Or._8210-P.2.jpg. Source: British Library digital collections, via Wikimedia Commons. License: CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication. Attribution is not required; credit to the British Library is retained.
The Chinese *Diamond Sutra* scroll in the British Library’s collection is the oldest known complete printed book with a precise date: its colophon records 11 May 868. Its text was printed in Chinese from woodblocks, and the scroll is made of several sheets joined together. This claim concerns the oldest dated book, not the earliest printing of any kind. [1–3]