Ancient books unveil chapters of history

From a 10th-century Buddhist sutra, which is the earliest-known dated printed work in China, to the one-millennium-old printed official dictionary of poetic rhythm, this relatively short sixth list-compared with the total 12,274 items being included in the previous five-is full of heavyweight stars.

The Bodhisattva Maitreya's Previous Life in Tusita Heaven (first volume), was printed in 927 during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907-960). The National Library of China collected it in 2015.

"It's also a rare physical proof of early-stage printed work anywhere in the world," Rao Quan, the director of the national library, says.

This sutra is also the world's second-oldest known dated printed work, only after the Diamond Sutra. That Buddhist scripture printed in 868 is also from China, and is now a collection of the British Library.