Guttenberg

I sincerely hope that you are enjoying the episodes that make up the Hall of Imagination. A wax museum is a wonderful metaphor. During the day, the figures are silent exhibits. At night, they become people again. That gives me tremendous freedom to let them explain themselves, argue, laugh, and even admit uncertainty—all while hopefully making it clear to my audience that they're listening to a dramatization grounded in history.

After I had finished talking with the inventor of paper in the previous episode, I came face-to-face with a wax figure of a man who is often called the inventor of printing–JOHANN GUTENBERG–not surprisingly, my first remark was you must be the inventor of printing–I have spoken with an individual who is often said to be the inventor of paper– But, from what I understand you are the inventor of the movable press.

Guttenberg: That is only partially true. One must note that I developed the first method of using movable type and the printing press in such a way that a great deal of written material could be printed with speed and accuracy. Compare this to the scribe or monk– However well intentioned–could not transcribe written communication at the speed of a machine– And that machine was the printing press–a machine that used movable type. And although there was a form of movable type used in China and Korea, it never came into general use until relatively recent times.

Transcript

I sincerely hope that you are enjoying the episodes that make up the Hall of Imagination. A wax museum is a wonderful metaphor. During the day, the figures are silent exhibits. At night, they become people again. That gives me tremendous freedom to let them explain themselves, argue, laugh, and even admit uncertainty—all while hopefully making it clear to my audience that they're listening to a dramatization grounded in history.

After I had finished talking with the inventor of paper in the previous episode, I came face-to-face with a wax figure of a man who is often called the inventor of printing–JOHANN GUTENBERG–not surprisingly, my first remark was you must be the inventor of printing–I have spoken with an individual who is often said to be the inventor of paper– But, from what I understand you are the inventor of the movable press.

That is only partially true. One must note that I developed the first method of using movable type and the printing press in such a way that a great deal of written material could be printed with speed and accuracy. Compare this to the scribe or monk– However well intentioned–could not transcribe written communication at the speed of a machine– And that machine was the printing press–a machine that used movable type. And although there was a form of movable type used in China and Korea, it never came into general use until relatively recent times.

HERR Guttenberg –could you explain that a little further?

Certainly. One must understand that there are basically four essential components of modern printing methods. And by modern I am referring to the beginni  ng of the 15th century.

Well, what would you consider the first component.

Obviously, movable type, naturally with some practical way for setting it and fixing it in position.

And what about the second component.?

Surely you Jest, Mr. Bartley– The second component would be the printing press itself!

Well what about the third component?

Well, that would have to be an appropriate type of ink.

And what would be the fourth component?

I feel that is most obvious–that would be a suitable material on which to print.

Such as paper, HERR guttenberg?

YAH, HERR Bartley. And permit me to make a further comment.

By all means go ahead HERR guttenberg!

As you may know, paper has been invented many, many years earlier by SI LOON. In fact, it's use had spread to my country years before my birth. However that was the only element of the printing process that I found– As you say– Ready-made.

Certainly, HERR guttenberg you must have made some important improvements to be so well-known in the world of printing!

JA, HERR Bartley, I must admit that some work had been done before me on each of the elements that I just mentioned, but I also developed an important metal alloy appropriate for type. I also developed a mold for casting blocks of type precisely and accurately. And I also developed and oil based printing ink, and of course a press suitable for printing.

Those sound like amazing achievements in the world are printing!

AH, but I have just begun. You see, I believe my overall contribution was much, much greater than any of my individual inventions. History remembers me because I combined all the elements are printing into an effective system of production!

Yes that is an amazing achievement!

HERR Bartley, I believe that printing, despite any earlier inventions or advancements is basically a process of mass production.

Oh, what do you mean by that. I'm a little bit confused.

I did not invent a single gadget or device or even a group of improvements, but a manufacturing Process. Instead of a few people having a copy of a book– Because they took so long to make– Books could be made and sold in quantity, making them more accessible to everyone!

HERR guttenberg, could you tell us a little bit about your life.?

Certainly. I was born about 1400 in the city of MAINZ, Germany. My best known work, referred to as the Guttenberg Bible, was printed at MAINZ around 1454–I think it should be pointed out that MAINZ is one of the most important cities in the history of printing.

Like many people, I am most interested in your Guttenberg Bible. Would you care to expand on the printing of that Bible, HERR guttenberg

YA, HERR Bartley. My workshop was set up on a property belonging to a distant relative. It is not known exactly when I conceived the Bible project, but for this, I borrowed another 800 guilders, and work commenced in 1452. At the same time, my press was also printing other, more lucrative texts such as Latin grammars. One of the profit-making enterprises of the new press was the printing of thousands of indulgences for the church. In 1455, I completed a document that was known as the Gutenberg Bible. About 180 copies were printed, three quarters on paper, and the rest on vellum. At the Vellum was quite special!

Why was that? Why was Vellum so special?

AH, HERR Bartley, in the context of the Gutenberg Bible, vellum was one of the most luxurious materials available. I admit that I printed most copies of the Gutenberg Bible on high-quality rag paper, which was much less expensive than vellum. However, approximately 30 copies were printed on vellum for wealthy patrons, churches, monasteries, and royalty.

In all, how many copies of the Guttenberg Bible do you believe you produced?

In total, it is believed that I produced around 180 copies of the Bible, with roughly 150 on paper and 30 on vellum.

I am especially interested in the elaborate copies that were printed on Vellum

You should be. The vellum copies were extraordinary: A single Bible required the skins of roughly 150–170 calves, depending on the size and quality of the hides. The pages were printed using movable metal type and then often hand-illuminated by artists, who added colorful initials, borders, and decorations. No two surviving copies are exactly alike because each was finished by hand.

I guess it has been established that the use of Vellum made some of the copies quite beautiful– But did it make them durable? 

JA, HERR Bartley–in fact, Vellum’s strength and stability are one reason many of these copies remained in remarkable condition more than 570 years later.

HERR guttenberg, what would you say was the most fascinating aspect of your work?

HERR Bartley, I believe that the most fascinating aspect of my work and my inventions was not just the printing press–—it was the combination of movable metal type, an oil-based ink that adhered well to both paper and vellum, a modified screw press, and careful page design. Printing on vellum was actually more demanding than printing on paper because the surface behaved differently, yet the results were extremely stunning.

And you might say that the use of materials provides quite a contrast!

YA, HERR Bartley, "Most people think of the Gutenberg Bible as simply the first great printed book. But to a wealthy bishop or prince in the 1450s, the most coveted edition wasn't printed on paper at all. It was printed on vellum—the smooth, creamy skin of carefully prepared calves—a material so precious that a single Bible required well over a hundred animals. 

It could be said that your revolutionary technology –for the time–met one of humanity's oldest and finest writing surfaces.” That juxtaposition—cutting-edge technology paired with an ancient material—really captures the moment when the medieval world and the modern world briefly overlapped.

In many ways, the history of the surviving copies is almost as dramatic as Gutenberg's invention itself.

You see,The Bible was never really "finished" when it left the press

One of the biggest surprises is that Gutenberg printed the text, but not the colorful decorations.

HERR guttenberg, from what I understand When a purchaser received a copy, professional scribes and illuminators would add:

the large red and blue initials,

decorative borders,

chapter markings,

and sometimes gold leaf.

As a result, no two Gutenberg Bibles are exactly alike. Every surviving copy has its own artistic personality.

That is a wonderful illustration of a world in transition: the pages were machine-produced, but they still depended on the work of medieval artists.

Today only about 48 copies survive, and only around 20–24 remain substantially complete, depending on how completeness is counted. 

The Lilly Library at Indiana University owns the complete New Testament from a Gutenberg Bible.

Their website describes it as the Lilly Library's most famous book. It is one of the world's premier collections of biblical printing. 

You see, way back In 1921, New York rare book dealer Gabriel Wells purchased a badly damaged Gutenberg Bible.

Instead of trying to restore it, he dismantled it.

Individual leaves were mounted in elegant portfolios and sold to collectors, universities, and libraries. Wells called them "Noble Fragments."

Some bibliophiles were horrified because a fifteenth-century masterpiece had been broken apart.

Others argued that the book had already been damaged beyond restoration, and selling individual pages allowed many institutions—and thousands of people—to own and study an authentic Gutenberg leaf instead of leaving the entire volume hidden away in a private collection. 

Indiana's New Testament came from another dismantled copy

The Indiana copy has a slightly different story.

In 1953, another damaged Gutenberg Bible was dismantled by the rare-book firm Charles Scribner's Sons.

The largest surviving portion of that damaged copy—the entire New Testament—was acquired by Indiana University's Lilly Library. 

It wasn't just a Bible—it was a technological demonstration

Many historians think Gutenberg wasn't merely printing Scripture.\

He was proving that movable metal type could produce a book every bit as beautiful as the finest handwritten manuscripts.\

If wealthy monasteries and bishops couldn't tell the difference from a distance, then the printing press had succeeded.

The typography is so carefully designed that modern printers still admire its balance and readability.

The pages are enormous

A Gutenberg Bible isn't something you'd read curled up in a chair.

Each page is roughly 15 by 22 inches (about 39 × 56 cm).

When opened, it resembles a lectern Bible meant to be read publicly in a church or monastery.

And HERR Bartley, how much would one of these Guttenberg Bibles sell for?

HERR Guttenberg, easily tens of millions of dollars?

You see, Collectors aren't paying only for rarity.\

They're buying:

the first great book printed with movable metal type in Europe,

one of the most influential books in Western civilization,

an object that marks the transition from the manuscript age to the age of print, and a masterpiece of craftsmanship.\

From what I understand, If a complete copy came on the market today, it would almost certainly sell for many tens of millions of dollars.\

Remember that Before Gutenberg, every Bible was copied by hand—one letter at a time. After Gutenberg, knowledge itself became reproducible.\

That single idea helps explain why historians often say that your press didn't merely print books—it helped launch the Renaissance, accelerated the Reformation, fueled the Scientific Revolution, and ultimately transformed the modern world.\

Imagine holding a single leaf that was once part of one of the most influential books ever printed—one page carrying with it the story of the birth of the printing revolution.\

HERR guttenberg, let me conclude by pointing out that ”Today, only a handful of Gutenberg Bibles survive. Some remain complete, treasured in the world's great libraries. Others suffered damage over the centuries. In one remarkable case, a rare-book dealer purchased a damaged copy and carefully separated its pages so that universities, museums, and collectors could own and study a piece of printing history. Imagine that—over five hundred years after Gutenberg set those pieces of type by hand, students and scholars can still turn those very pages."

"Perhaps that's fitting. Museums preserve the people who changed history. Libraries preserve the ideas that changed the world. Gutenberg gave us both."