Johannes Gutenberg (1398-1468) and the Printing Press

Up to the fifteenth century all books in

Europe were hand-written (manuscripts)
or were printed from hand-carved
wooden blocks. The invention of
moveable metal type (letters) and the
printing-press created a revolution.
Gutenberg was born in Mainz in
Germany. He was a skilled goldsmith by
trade.
Gutenberg’s first book was the
bible in Latin. This bible had forty-two
lines on each page and was printed in
gothic type. The bible was printed on
paper, which was much cheaper than
the vellum or parchment used in the
manuscripts. Aldus Manutius in Venice
and William Caxton in London were
important printers in their countries.
The invention of the printing
press had important results. There was a
plentiful supply of all kinds of books:
Latin and Greek books, and also
comedies, songbooks, and books on the
lives of the saints. The price of books fell
quickly. The new renaissance learning
was spread around Europe. Literacy
(reading and writing) and education
became more widespread. The spread of
new ideas lead to the age of exploration
and the reformation.