Jikji: The Oldest Metal Book!

Jikji is a very special book from a long, long time ago in Korea. It's like a collection of wise sayings from Buddhist priests. What makes Jikji super amazing is how it was printed. Instead of handwriting every letter, someone used tiny metal pieces, like little stamps, to make the words! This was a brand new way to print books back then.

This amazing book was printed in 1377. That's almost 700 years ago! Think about that – it’s way, way older than any book you’ve probably seen in school. It was printed 78 years before another famous book, Gutenberg's Bible. So, Jikji is like the original metal-type printing champion of the world!

Jikji is super important because it shows us how clever people were a long time ago. It's the oldest book we know of that was printed using movable metal type. This invention helped spread ideas and stories much faster. Without this kind of printing, books might not be as common today!

Sadly, most of the Jikji book is lost to time. We only have the very last part of it left. It's kept safe in a big library in France, far away in Europe! But don't worry, you can even see pictures of it online. It's like a secret message from the past waiting to be discovered.