Special Collection: The Gutenberg Bible

Johannes Gutenberg was born in Mainz [Germany] around the year 1398.

Not much is known about his life and  what it was that inspired Gutenberg to make his first movable type printing press.

By 1450 the press was in operation, and a German poem had been printed.

In 1455 Gutenberg completed his first 42-line Bible, known as the Gutenberg Bible.

Johannes Gutenberg, in full Johann Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg, died probably February 3, 1468, Mainz.[1]

• The Gutenberg Bible has been acclaimed for its high aesthetic and technical quality.
• Most copies were printed on paper, but there were some on vellum as well.
• The original number of copies of this work is unknown (presumably around 180); some 40 are still in existence (21 of which complete).
• The text is in Latin, printed in 42-line columns and the type is Gothic.
• The text lacks modern features such as page numbers, indentations, and paragraph breaks and after printing, some copies were rubricated (text in red) or hand-illuminated (borders and miniature illustrations) in the same elegant way as manuscript Bibles.
• Most of the copies are bound in a two-volume set and have around 1286 pages. However, two exactly same copies can’t be found.

Elements of his invention are thought to have included a metal alloy that could melt readily and cool quickly to form durable reusable type, an oil-based ink that could be made sufficiently thick to adhere well to metal type and transfer well to vellum or paper, and a new press, likely adapted from those used in producing wine, oil, or paper, for applying firm even pressure to printing surfaces.

None of these features existed in the European technique used up to that time for stamping letters on various surfaces or in woodblock printing. Gutenberg’s printing press was considered a history-changing invention, making books widely accessible and ushering in an “information revolution.”[2]