THE GUTENBERG BIBLE:
Somewhere around 1450, Johan Gutenberg entered into a partnership with merchant and moneylender, Johann Fust. Together they set up a press upon which they printed the first complete book – a Bible. This Bible, a revision of the Latin Vulgate, is often referred to as the Gutenberg Bible. For the printing of the Bible, Gutenberg cut and cast particularly beautiful and fine types. His desire was to approximate the majesty and splendor of the medieval manuscripts, and if possible, to accentuate their beauty through his new found art. Gutenberg and the medieval printers, practicing more of an art than a craft, lavished great care upon the printing of God’s holy Word through the use of large and distinguished formatting, fine press work, creamy, watermarked, paper, and an elaborate Gothic typeface. After experimenting with several different formats, the printers settled on a 42 line page with two columns of type. As a result, the Gutenberg Bible had better proportions and harmony than any manuscript, even those produced with the greatest of care by the most learned of scribes. Spaces were left for capital letters and headings, and those who purchased the Bibles commissioned artists to illuminate each page with religious miniatures, dragons, peacocks, falcons, and medieval flowers, making each of the original Gutenberg Bibles a unique, individual work of art. The combination of the elegant type and decorative illuminations made the Gutenberg Bible the most beautiful piece of printing ever produced.
By 1500, 17 European countries contained printing presses that had produced millions of copies of thousands of works. Most importantly, Scripture was being printed and distributed, helping to expand the Protestant Reformation.
Product Dimensions:
Product Weight (set): 25.3 lb.
