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Epistle of St. Jerome (page 1 recto) |
The Gutenberg Bible was printed by its namesake, Johann Gutenberg, in Mainz, Germany around 1454-1455 using moveable type. This Bible is the most famous incunabulum and its production marked the beginning of the mass production of books in the West.
It is believed that 180 copies of the Bible were produced, a number which boggled minds in societies which, from time immemorial, had to produce copies of written works labouriously by hand, usually in a Scriptorium. As of 2003, the number of known extant Gutenberg Bibles includes 11 complete copies on vellum, one copy of the New Testament only on vellum, and 48 substantially complete integral copies on paper, with another divided copy on paper.
