INVENTION OF THE PRINTING PRESS: THE INCUNABLE ERA

Johannes Gutenberg: Invention of the Printing Press-The Incunable Era

The printing press was the single most important invention of the fifteenth century decisively leading to the low cost publication of books, an increase in literacy, and generational strides in the humanities. Gutenberg's invention contributed to the Renaissance, promoted the Protestant Reformation, and made publicly available arcane knowledge reserved for the clergy or wealthy elites. Prior to the revolution of the printing press, scribes and learned clergy were the only ones with the skill to arduously copy by hand the intricate scrolls to preserve and transmit knowledge to the precious few who had the means to afford such luxuries. Within one generation printing presses appeared in the most distant corners of Western Europe, and the cost of books had been cut by two-thirds or more. The political and economic implications of this rise in literacy changed the social structure of Western Europe with the dissemination of information that raised the standard of living for many and introduced a new middle-class of merchants.

In 1450, Johannes Gensfleisch Zur Laden Zum Gutenberg (1393-1468) developed the first viable printing press in Mainz, Germany bringing production of the printed word to thousands of people who, prior to this, were forced to rely on the specious translation of knowledge from the elite literate few or from the clergy. Gutenberg was a German inventor and his invention of a movable type printing press led to an information revolution that spread literature throughout Europe and contributed to the Renaissance, the Reformation, and humanist movements.

 In 1454 Gutenberg put his press to commercial use, producing thousands of indulgences for the Church. The following year he printed his famous 42-line Bible, the first book printed on a moveable type press in the West. For more visible information on Gutenberg please watch the videos below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6ny9oyrJwo&ab_channel=UniMainz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_L3r6BYB7g&ab_channel=FewMinutesKnowledge

          Thanks to Johannes Gutenberg, today’s high-speed commercial printing presses can produce up to 15,000 sheets an hour! His invention of metal movable type in 1450 has accurately been called “an invention that changed the world.” And the first major book he printed was the Bible! It’s estimated there were about 30,000 books in all of Europe before Gutenberg’s press. Less than fifty years later there were as many as twelve million books, and the book that was printed was often the Bible. As people became more interested in studying the Bible, Bibles were printed not only in Latin, but in German, French, and even ancient Greek. Many believe that without the Gutenberg press, the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century might not have been possible.

“Unquestionably, Gutenberg was one of the greatest figures in the history of mankind: his invention became the almost exclusive basis for the subsequent transmission of learning and literature” ( Kapr 1986, 11). A significant increase in book production and consumption followed Gutenberg’s invention and changes in the paper production caused the price of books to decline and literacy to increase. Gutenberg’s invention revolutionized the printing industry spreading rapidly across Western Europe with the cost of books cut by two-thirds, more subtle, was the rise of literacy leading to a greater demand for books (Buringh 2009, 440).

          One of the earliest productions to come out of Gutenberg’s press was the 42 line Bible also known as the Gutenberg Bible it was the first complete book extent in the West in 1455. The three volume work, printed in the Latin vulgate, marked the start of the Gutenberg revolution and contributed to the Protestant Reformation by the wide-spread dissemination of Protestant teachings and through encouraging independent thought on religious matters previously controlled by a literate elite.

       

      

Gutenberg died in 1468 and was buried in the Franciscan Church at Mainz.

         

                                                                     Works Cited

Buringh, Eltjo., Van Zanden, Luiten Jan. (2009). Charting the “Rise of the West”: Manuscripts and Printed Books in Europe, a Long-Term Perspective from the Sixth through Eighteen Centuries. The Journal of Economic History, 69(2), 409-445.

International Gutenberg-Gesellschaft in Mainz. (nd). “Gutenberg’s Invention.” https://www.gutenberg-gesellschaft.de/en/johannes-gutenberg/gutenbergs-invention#:~:text=Around%201450%20Gutenberg%20produced%20the,the%20letters%20and%20punctuation%20marks.

Kapr, Albert., (1996). Johann Gutenberg: The Man and his Invention. (Trans. Douglas Martin). Scholar Press.

Mark, J. Joshua, (2022). “The Printing Press & the Protestant Reformation.” World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2039/the-printing-press--the-protestant-reformation/

Quo Circa. (January 22, 2024) The Gutenberg Revolution: How the Printing Press Shaped Humanity and What it means for AI. https://quocirca.com/content/the-gutenberg-revolution-how-the-printing-press-shaped-humanity-and-what-it-means-for-ai/#:~:text=It%20signalled%20the%20start%20of,the%20nautical%20compass%5B2%5D.

Rees, Fran. (2006). Johannes Gutenberg. Compass Point Books.

Roos, Dave. (2019). 7 ways the printing press Changed the World. History. https://www.history.com/articles/printing-press-renaissance

Treasures of the McDonald Collection. (nd). “The Incunable Era, The Gutenberg Press.” Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries. https://scarc.library.oregonstate.edu/omeka/exhibits/show/mcdonald/incunabula/gutenberg/#:~:text=In%201436%20Johaness%20Gutenberg%2C%20a,type%20press%20in%20the%20West.