lesson this morning. start thinking about old books. by old, we don't mean the dead sea scrolls, do we? >> no. >> because those are downright ancient. >> this book is pricey. it was just bought by the british library for more than 14 million bucks. and when it comes to ages, it makes "beowulf" look like an ipad. the bbc's david sillito reports. >> reporter: here in the british library carefully stored and wrapped is a new book for the shelves. it is, though, very, very old. >> this book, which was written at the end of the seventh century, is the earliest intact european book. >> reporter: st. cuthbert's bible dates from 698. it survived because it was stored in the saint's coffin off northumberland. look closely at those words. how clear they are. >> this is a manuscript, a handwritten book. and the words on the page are almost as clear as the day that