The Advent of the Printed Word: Introducing the Gutenberg Bible

The Gutenberg Bible marked a revolution in Western literature, standing as the first major book manufactured in Europe using movable metal type. This innovation allowed for individual pages to be created by carefully folding sheets into a single leaf, ushering in a new era of book production.

Measuring an impressive 42 x 60 centimeters, the pages of the Gutenberg Bible boasted 40-42 lines of meticulously aligned text. Uniquely, it featured blank spaces for illustrations to be added by hand, tailoring each copy to the buyer’s desires. Presently, a mere 49 copies of this monumental work are known to exist.