Gutenberg Bible facts for kids
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The Gutenberg Bible is a super famous and important book. It's also called the 42-line Bible or the Mazarin Bible. It's a printed version of the Bible in Latin, made by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany, during the 15th century.
This Bible wasn't the very first book Gutenberg printed using his amazing new system of movable type. But it was his biggest and most important project. It helped kick off the "Gutenberg Revolution" and the "Age of the Printed Book." This meant books could be made much faster and cheaper than ever before!
The Gutenberg Bible is very rare and expensive today. Less than 200 copies were originally made. We know of only 49 complete or almost complete ones still existing. Each Bible has 1286 pages. Did you know that the earliest known book printed with movable type was actually made 78 years earlier in Korea? It's called the Jikji.
Contents
What is Movable Type?
Before Gutenberg, books were copied by hand, which took a very long time. Gutenberg's invention, movable type, changed everything.
How Gutenberg's Printing Worked
- He created individual metal letters (like tiny stamps).
- These letters could be arranged to form words and sentences.
- Once a page was set, ink was put on the letters.
- Then, paper was pressed onto the letters to print the page.
- After printing, the letters could be rearranged to print new pages.
This system made it possible to print many copies of the same book quickly and easily. It was a huge step forward for sharing knowledge!
Why the Gutenberg Bible is Important
The Gutenberg Bible is important for many reasons:
- It changed how books were made: It showed how powerful movable type printing could be.
- It spread knowledge: More books meant more people could learn to read and get information.
- It started a revolution: This new way of printing led to a huge growth in books, newspapers, and learning around the world. It truly began the "Age of the Printed Book."
Related Pages
See also
In Spanish: Biblia de Gutenberg para niños
Images for kids
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Gutenberg Bible of the New York Public Library. This was the first copy bought by a United States citizen.
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Gutenberg Bible in the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University.
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The spine of the Lenox copy.
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A special copy of the Gutenberg Bible made on vellum (a type of treated animal skin), owned by the U.S. Library of Congress.
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The first page of the first volume, from the University of Texas at Austin copy. This page has 40 lines of text.
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A close-up showing both rubrication (red lettering) and illumination (colorful decorations).
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Locations of known complete Gutenberg Bibles around the world.
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The binding of the copy at the University of Texas at Austin.
