The Printing Press

In the early 1400s, books were costly and scarce. Most books were also written in Latin. Few people could read. Christians depended on their priests to read the Bible to them. The Renaissance invention of the printing press changed how people got information – and the history of Europe as well.
In 1448, a goldsmith from Mainz, Germany, named Johannes Gutenberg, mad an important decision. He borrowed money from a relative and set to work to perfect the invention that he had been working on for nearly ten years. The Chinese had been printing books for centuries, but they had used wood or clay blocks that had to be carved by hand. Gutenberg felt there had to be a better way to mass produce books.
As a goldsmith, Gutenberg thought the answer lay with metal. He figured out how to cast individual letters out of hot metal. Soon Gutenberg created thousands of letters that could be used again and again. Now he could form words with his “movable type” and lock the words into place in a large frame. He then converted an old wine press into a printing press.
He found an oily ink that worked well with metal type and used a new kind of paper that was made out of old linen rags. Gutenberg turned the large wooden screw on the press. When he lifted the paper out, he saw a beautifully printed page. The invention was a success. He now had to decide what to print with his new press. It had to be something very popular – a book that would sell in different countries all over Europe, and pay back all of his investors quickly. There seemed to be only one choice – the Bible.
Printing the Bible was a huge job. Each page had two columns that were 42 lines long. There were nearly 1,300 pages in Gutenberg’s Bible, and he probably printed more than 175 copies. Of these copies, most were printed on paper and some on the more expensive vellum, made from calfskin. After individual sheets were printed, artists added colorful drawings known as illuminations that pictured scenes from the Bible. The sheets were then gathered together and bound. The whole process took several years. When the book was finally published in 1455, people marveled at the neat, uniform lettering.
Gutenberg’s new printing process set off an explosion of publishing and learning. Never in the history of the world had information and knowledge been able to spread so quickly. Within 50 years, millions of books were printed, on all subjects and in many different languages. Because books were available in the languages that most Europeans spoke – instead of only in Latin – the number of people who could read and write soared. People were now able to read their Bibles themselves. Johannes Gutenberg and his Bible started in all.
Today, 48 copies of the Gutenberg Bible still exist. Originally, most of the copies were in monasteries or churches. Later, many were purchased by libraries and wealthy collectors. Viewing the Bible today, with its vivid colors and black type, it is hard to believe that this groundbreaking book was printed more than 500 years ago.