Books / a-brief-history-of-the-gutenberg-bible
Facts about A Brief History of the Gutenberg Bible
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Printed on both vellum and paper, the Gutenberg Bible is set in a typeface designed to closely imitate the handwritten Gothic script used by medieval scribes.
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Each copy of the Gutenberg Bible was rubricated and illuminated by hand after printing, meaning no two surviving copies look exactly alike.
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Johannes Gutenberg used a hand press and oil-based ink to produce the Bible, techniques that represented a significant advance over manuscript copying.
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Approximately 180 copies of the Gutenberg Bible were printed, and around 49 copies survive today in libraries and institutions worldwide.
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The Gutenberg Bible, printed around 1455, was among the first major books produced using movable type in Europe.