Gutenberg Bible

The Gutenberg Bible (also known as the 42-line Bible) was the first complete book printed using the Gutenberg Press (it's earlier publications included primarily pamphlets and religious literature).

Design and Production

The Gutenberg Bible was meticulously designed to reflect and imitate the form of traditionally hand-printed copies of the Bible through careful selection of type, format, and aesthetic. This had the two-fold benefit of offering a cheaper alternative to the hand-printed Bible without depreciating its value in the eyes of the customer. It was called the 42-line Bible for its 42-lines of text per page, which were given wide margins and formed with ornate metallic type that was designed to echo earlier traditional copying techniques. The project was launched in 1450, and it was printed in 1456 in two volumes. Over 100,000 pieces of type were used to print the Bible, which took over half a year, and the typesetting could take up to two years. A total of 180 copies were printed and bound during its printing run. Each copy contained 1,282 pages, which would have required a total of 230,000 passes, which would require over 330 working days. However, when compared with hand-printing, this was still far more efficient, as it could take an experienced scribe up to three years for a single copy, while the Gutenberg Press allowed for the printing of 180 copies in six years. Despite the fact that the Gutenberg Bible was much more affordable than earlier hand-printed copies, it was still quite expensive and primarily purchased by monasteries and universities for their libraries and collections.