The Gutenberg Bible

The Gutenberg Bible was the first major work to be printed in Europe from moveable type. Printed in Mainz in 1455 by Johann Gutenberg and associates, fewer than 50 copies of the original now survive, in public and private collections around the world. Many copies married the new technology with the old, and, as in this example by The British Library, included painted decoration to imitate the appearance of an illuminated manuscript. The result set standards for book printing which are still largely unsurpassed today. This book reproduces many illustrations from the Bible, and discusses how it was created and published, and its role in the early spread of printing in Europe.