Gutenberg Bible

July 23, 2003 7:51 AM

The Gutenberg Bible : the first book printed with movable type, is the one of the greatest treasures in the University of Texas's Ransom Center's collections. It was printed at Johann Gutenberg's shop in Mainz, Germany and completed in 1454 or 1455. The Center's Bible was acquired in 1978 and is one of only five complete examples in the United States. All 1,282 pages now available for viewing on the Ransom Center's Web site. Also check out the anatomy of a page.
posted by ColdChef (16 comments total)

The Gutenberg Bible : the first book printed with movable type

What? Movable Type is printing books now, too?

Really, though, this is very, very good. Coldchef. Somebody was going to make that lame joke eventually, so I thought I'd just get it out of the way.
posted by soyjoy at 7:56 AM on July 23, 2003

the first book printed with movable type< ?i>

Wow, Ben and Mena are really, really old.

Sorry, couldn't resist...
posted by tomcosgrave at 7:56 AM on July 23, 2003

Great minds make similar lame-ass jokes.
posted by soyjoy at 8:11 AM on July 23, 2003

You can thank Gutenberg for the information age, and liberation of knowledge in general... it really changed everything. *sniff*
posted by shadow45 at 8:19 AM on July 23, 2003

Wow. This by itself justifies the continued existence of MetaFilter. Many thanks, ColdChef. (In case it's not obvious from the linked page, the page images for viewing are here.)
posted by languagehat at 8:26 AM on July 23, 2003

[this is wicked good]
posted by madamjujujive at 8:29 AM on July 23, 2003

[das ist sehr gut]
posted by goethean at 8:39 AM on July 23, 2003

Keep in mind that Gutenberg did not invent movable type; it already existed. He invented the printing press.
posted by NortonDC at 9:09 AM on July 23, 2003

[This is what the intarweb is for]

What many people don't know is that Gutenberg's follow up to the bible was to print a collection of short stories entitled Ich Gehaben Nein Mouthe und Ich Muste Screame. The lawsuit brought by a bard named Harlonymous Elisenberg was widely ridiculed as a prime example of "not getting it" at the time.

Sure that's German. It's the Kovax region dialect.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 9:27 AM on July 23, 2003

"In principio creavit Deus coelum et terram."
posted by 111 at 9:37 AM on July 23, 2003

"Imus ad magum Ozi videndum, magum Ozi mirum mirissimum."
posted by signal at 9:39 AM on July 23, 2003

Oh cool, I live in Austin and have heard about the Ransom center's copy but haven't yet seen it myself. I thought it would be cool to get to peek inside but of course they don't let visitors flip through the pages, I'm sure.

Thank you for posting this.
posted by beth at 9:45 AM on July 23, 2003

The Ransom Center has recenty re-opened after remodelling. I've been meaning to go with a friend of mine. If you go, Beth, also be sure to see the world's first photograph.
posted by jammer at 11:00 AM on July 23, 2003

Great, thanks :).

(You may also enjoy the British Library's Gutenberg Bible pages).
posted by plep at 11:01 AM on July 23, 2003

great stuff...wasn't it gutenberg's invention of the printing press that was decided to be the most important invention of the last millenium?
posted by amberglow at 3:12 PM on July 23, 2003

My school has a copy of the Gutenberg Bible (note I'm British; when I say school I don't mean college). They kept it in a small library, not open to most of the students and most definitely not open to the public, in a small display case. It's been there since 1841. Very few people know about it. I came across it by chance.

"... significant parts of 48 copies still survive..." (British Library)

smug fuckers.
posted by Hogshead at 6:38 AM on July 30, 2003