Johann Gutenberg

The printing press invented by German goldsmith Johann Gutenberg in 1448 has been

called one of the most important inventions in the history of humankind. The device

made it possible for the first time for the common man, woman and child to have access

to books, which meant they would for the first time have unprecedented ability to

accumulate knowledge.

Before the invention of the printing press, the majority of books were written and copied

by hand. Block printing was becoming more popular, which involved carving each page

of a text into a block of wood and pressing each block onto paper. Because these

processes were so labor-intensive, books were very expensive, and only the rich could

afford them.

Believed to have been born in Mainz, Germany, in approximately 1399, Gutenberg, nee

Johann Gensfleisch, later adopted his family’s settling place as his last name. He was

trained as a goldsmith, gem cutter and metallurgist. For some time he lived in

Strasbourg, most likely in the late 1430s-early 1440s. By then he had been losing money in

his business and began looking for a way to make money to pay off his debts.

He started working on a device that would make it possible to print texts using movable

blocks of letters and graphics. These, used with paper, ink, and a press, would make it

possible to print books much faster and more cheaply than ever before. He used metals

he was familiar with lead, antimony and tin, to cast 290 blocks of letters and symbols

and created a linseed- and soot-based ink of the consistency he believed to be ideal for

printing on handmade paper. He adapted a wine press that allowed him to slide paper in

and out of it and to squeeze water from the paper after printing.

He tested his moveable-type machine by printing a Latin book on speech-making in 1450.

When this endeavor was successful, he embarked on his most famous project, the

printing of The Gutenberg Bibles.

The bibles, printed in Latin, gained fame as the first books ever printed in Europe, and the

first bibles printed in history. Two-hundred copies were made, each complete with

 

beautiful illustrations and vibrant colors. Part of Gutenberg’s genius was his technique

for creating blocks to represent the calligraphy done in hand-made volumes, so that the

richness of the original texts could be preserved. Characters and illustrations were later

hand-illuminated. Today, only 22 of the original Gutenberg bibles are known to be in

existence.

Gutenberg’s business partner Johann Fust eventually gained ownership of the pr inting

business and completed the printing of the bibles. This was the result of a deal made

between the two men necessitated by debts Gutenberg owed to Fust. Gutenberg died in

approximately 1468 in Mainz.

It should be noted that others in history claim to have come up with the idea of movable

type earlier than Gutenberg did, including a Dutchman and a Chinese inventor. A system

similar to his to said to have also been used in the 12th century in Korea. But for whatever

reason Gutenberg’s endeavor was the first to be successful and indeed, his printing press

had a revolutionary impact on history and the entire world.

The printing press and all that it brought to the masses helped to inspire a religious

revolution as families were for the first time able to possess a Bible for their own

interpretation. It also factored into the progress of science, general education, and is said

to have been key in moving the world out of the Medieval era into the Early Modern

period.