J O H A N N E S     G U T E N B E R G

(1398-1468)

Johannes Gutenberg was a German goldsmith and inventor credited with inventing movable type printing in Europe (1450). His major work, the Gutenberg Bible, also known as the 42-line bible, has been acclaimed for its high aesthetic and technical quality. Among Gutenberg's specific contributions were the design of movable type, the invention of a process for making such type in quantity (mass production), the use of oil-based ink, and the use of a wooden printing press similar to the screw olive and wine presses of the period.

            In Europe during the late 1300s and early 1400s, books were rare and expensive. The main way of copying books was by hand. It took many months and sometimes years to copy just one book. Another way of copying books involved carving words and pictures into blocks of wood. A printer would then ink and stamp the wood blocks onto a piece of paper. This method also took a lot of time.

            The demand for written information was growing. A German inventor and metalworker named Johannes Gutenberg recognized this demand and saw a way to make money. In the 1430s, Gutenberg began trying new ways of printing. He combined parts of presses used to make wine and paper to build a printing press. Gutenberg then used ideas first developed by the Chinese to come up with a new way of printing using movable type. Gutenberg put his metalworking skills to use in forming metal numbers and letters. He then arranged these numbers and letters to form words and sentences. Next, he placed them in rows on the printing press. Gutenberg could move the numbers and letters around as needed. Movable type allowed Gutenberg to print many books faster than ever before.

            The first major text printed by Gutenberg was a 1,200-page Bible that became known as the Gutenberg Bible. About 300 copies of the Gutenberg Bible were printed. Each copy cost about three years' wages for an average German worker. Before Gutenberg had a chance to make his fortune from the Gutenberg Bible, his partner sued him. Johann Fust had lent Gutenberg the money he needed to begin printing his Bible, but Fust wanted the money back quickly. When Fust asked Gutenberg to pay back the loan and he was not able to pay, Fust sued him. Gutenberg lost the lawsuit and had to give up his printing equipment to pay back what he owed to Fust. The lawsuit left Gutenberg without money. Some historians believe he continued to print on borrowed equipment. Toward the end of his life, Gutenberg lived off the kindness of the archbishop of Mainz, Germany. The archbishop made sure that Gutenberg had food and clothing.

            Gutenberg's printing press and movable type changed communication forever. By the end of the 1400s, books had become available to more people. New ideas in science, religion, and art spread quickly across Europe. Gutenberg's invention helped begin an age in which even the poorest people had access to information. In the late 20^th Century the invention of the personal computer gave people greater access to information via desktop publishing and the World Wide Web. I looks like history does repeat itself.