Britannica Sources used in this answer

When was the first printed book in Basque published?

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Basque language Extent of the Basque language area

The first printed book in the Basque language was published in 1545.12

Titled Linguae vasconum primitiae (Latin for "First Fruits of the Basque Language"), the work is a collection of poems composed by the parish priest Bernat Dechepare (also spelled Detxepare). This publication marked the beginning of an uninterrupted written tradition for the language.21