<P> The first printing of books started in China and was during the Tang Dynasty ( 618 -- 907 ) , but exactly when is not known . The oldest extant printed book is a Tang Dynasty work of the Diamond Sutra and dates back to 868 . When the Italian Catholic missionary Matteo Ricci visited Ming China , he wrote that there were `` exceedingly large numbers of books in circulation '' and noted that they were sold at very low prices . </P>
<P> The first printing of books started in China and was during the Tang Dynasty ( 618 -- 907 ) , but exactly when is not known . The oldest extant printed book is a Tang Dynasty work of the Diamond Sutra and dates back to 868 . When the Italian Catholic missionary Matteo Ricci visited Ming China , he wrote that there were `` exceedingly large numbers of books in circulation '' and noted that they were sold at very low prices . </P>
when was the first book published in the world
when was the first book published in the world
618 -- 907
618 -- 907