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April is Autism Awareness Month

The Last Word In Business

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And today's last word in business is: An auction of biblical proportions.

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

When not planning Thanksgiving feast, our pilgrim forefathers were also able to get around publishing books. One of them, a tiny book of Psalms from 1640, sold at Sotheby's for $14.2 million on Tuesday. That's an auction record for a printed book.

GREENE: The "Bay Psalms Book" was published in Cambridge by the puritan leaders of the Massachusetts Bay colony. It is believed to be the first book printed in what is now known as the United States.

WERTHEIMER: It was sold by Boston's historic Old South Church, which is only a few years younger than the book itself. The church had two copies. Only 11 are known to exist.

GREENE: The new owner is an American philanthropist who pledges to lend the book to libraries around the country.

And that's the business news on what is now known as MORNING EDITION. I'm David Greene.

WERTHEIMER: And I'm Linda Wertheimer. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.