Gutenberg Bible

Timeline

1. c. 1440–1450Strasbourg and Mainz · GermanyWhile in Strasbourg, Johannes Gutenberg began secretly developing a movable-type system, including casting metal type, an oil-based printing ink, and an improved screw press. Around 1450 he partnered with the merchant Johann Fust to establish a printing workshop in Mainz, preparing technically to print the Bible.
2. c. 1452–1455Gutenberg's workshop in Mainz · MainzThe Bible was set from the Latin Vulgate, with 42 lines per page (43 on a few pages), hence the name Forty-Two-Line Bible. Roughly 165 to 180 copies were printed, about a third on vellum and the rest on paper. After printing, artisans added illuminated initials and decoration to each copy, so each differs slightly.
3. 1455–1457Mainz · GermanyIn 1455 Fust sued Gutenberg over a debt dispute, causing Gutenberg to lose the workshop and most of its equipment. Final publication and sale of the Bible were carried out by Fust and his son-in-law Peter Schöffer. Copies had circulated among churches and nobles across Europe; the Archbishop of Magdeburg bought a batch, each copy reportedly selling for about 30 to 40 florins.
4. 1457–1500Across Europe · EuropeGutenberg's printing technology spread rapidly across Europe between 1450 and 1500; by 1500 about 250 cities had printing workshops, and total output of incunabula exceeded 20 million copies. The spread of printing greatly advanced the Reformation (Martin Luther's writings circulated widely through print), humanist scholarship, and the rise of modern vernacular literatures.