According to the records the oldest book in existence is- The Etruscan Gold Book which was discovered early last century whilst digging a canal off the Strouma river in Bulgaria. This book is thought to be 2,676 years old and is made of pure 24 carat gold.
However there is an older book in existence, and while it is not the oldest text known to exist, it is the first written on paper (papyrus) and dates from 2414-2375 BC making it over 4000 years old.
Instruction of Ptahhotep is of Ancient Egyptian origins and was written by Ptahhotep, a vizier who worked under King Isesi of the Egyptian Fifth Dynasty. The book is full of wisdom which is just as important now as when written, here is some of the lessons it contains transcribed from the original by Battiscombe G. Gunn.
The Ethics of Argument
If thou find an arguer talking, one that is well disposed and wiserthan thou, let thine arms fall, bend thy back, be not angrywith him if he agree (?) not with thee. Refrain from speaking evilly;oppose him not at any time when he speaketh. If he address thee as oneignorant of the matter, thine humbleness shall bear away hiscontentions.If thou find an arguer talking, thy fellow, one that is within thyreach, keep not silence when he saith aught that is evil; so shalt thoube wiser than he. Great will be the applause on the part of thelisteners, and thy name shall be good in the knowledge of princes.If thou find an arguer talking, a poor man, that is to say notthine equal, be not scornful toward him because he is lowly. Let himalone; then shall he confound himself. Question him not to pleasethine heart, neither pour out thy wrath upon him that is before thee;it is shameful to confuse a mean mind. If thou be about to do thatwhich is in thine heart, overcome it as a thing rejected of princes.
Following The Heart
Follow thine heart during thy lifetime; do not more than iscommanded thee. Diminish not the time of following the heart; it isabhorred of the soul, that its time [of ease] be taken away. Shortennot the daytime more than is needful to {47} maintain thine house.When riches are gained, follow the heart; for riches are of no avail ifone be weary.
Leadership
If thou be a leader, cause that the rules {49} that thou hastenjoined be carried out; and do all things as one that remembereth thedays coming after, when speech availeth not. Be not lavish of favours;it leadeth to servility (?), producing slackness.If thou be a leader, be gracious when thou hearkenest unto thespeech of a suppliant. Let him not hesitate to deliver himself of thatwhich he hath thought to tell thee; but be desirous of removing hisinjury. Let him speak freely, that the thing for which he hath come tothee may be done. If he hesitate to open his heart, it is said, ‘Is itbecause he (the judge) doeth the wrong that no entreaties are made tohim concerning it by those to whom it happeneth?’ But a well-taughtheart hearkeneth readily.
How To Treat Your Wife
If thou wouldest be wise, provide for thine house, and love thywife that is in thine arms. Fill her stomach, clothe her back; oil isthe remedy of her limbs. Gladden her heart during thy lifetime, forshe is an estate profitable unto its lord. Be not harsh, forgentleness mastereth her more than strength. Give (?) to her that forwhich she sigheth and that toward which her eye looketh; so shaltthou keep her in thine house….
The Test Of Friendship
If thou wouldest seek out the nature of a friend, ask it not ofany companion of his; but pass a time with him alone, that thou injurenot his affairs. Debate with him after a season; test his heart in anoccasion of speech. When he hath told thee his past life, he hath madean opportunity that thou may either be ashamed for him or be familiarwith him. Be not reserved with him when he openeth speech, neitheranswer him after a scornful manner. Withdraw not thyself from him,neither interrupt (?) him whose matter is not yet ended, whom it ispossible to benefit.
There are a total of 42 sections which Ptahhotep talks about in The Teachings Of Ptahhotep you can get the full copy with intro and other transcriptions HERE
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