The Gutenberg Bible

printing · history · books · innovation

First printed book. The Gutenberg Bible was the earliest major book printed in Europe using movable metal type, around 1455. This invention meant books could be made much faster than by hand.

Also called the 42-line Bible. People call it the "42-line Bible" because each page has 42 lines of text. It's also known as the Mazarin Bible because an early copy was found in a famous French collection.

Beautiful and special. The Gutenberg Bible is treasured for its gorgeous artistic design and stunning quality. Each copy was hand-decorated and treated almost like a precious work of art.

Changed the world. This Bible marked the start of the "Gutenberg Revolution," which transformed how information spread across Europe. Before this, almost all books were copied by hand, one at a time.

Metal type revolution. Gutenberg invented a system using tiny metal letters that could be arranged, inked, and printed over and over. This meant the same page could be printed many times without rewriting it.