A 500-year-old bible is the
main drawcard at a new community library in Hobart.
The Latin Vulgate
Bible was published in Switzerland in 1477 and is believed to be one of
only 27 left in the world, reports the ABC.
Librarian Ed Sianski says the Bible will be kept in a temperature-controlled room and can only be handled with gloves. 'Books are still very much a part of our culture and our heritage. And I think if we lose sight of that, in this media age, it would kind of be, I think, to our detriment.'
The Bible was bequeathed to the Catholic Archdiocese by Tasmanian academic and priest Father John Wall in 2004, but Mr Sianski says its past is a bit of a mystery.
'It's certainly been here in Tasmania since I guess the '60s, that's my guess, but prior to that I just have no idea." It is thought Father Wall might have discovered the Bible while on sabbatical in England.