Biblia Latina
Mainz, Germany: Johannes Gutenberg, 1455
Rare Book Division
Biblia Latina
Johannes Gutenberg (ca. 1398–1468) of Mainz, Germany, is credited as the first European to employ movable metal type in the production of books. This technology—coupled with his use of oil-based inks and a mechanical printing press—enabled the mass production of nearly identical texts, facilitating the spread of knowledge and literacy. Likely completed during the autumn of 1455, the Gutenberg Bible came to embody the revolution in print and is a cornerstone of printing in the West. Approximately 180 copies of the Bible were printed; 48 are known to survive. Collector and Library founder James Lenox acquired the Library’s copy, the first one brought to the Americas, in 1847. Its arrival in New York is the stuff of romantic legend: Lenox’s agent instructed the Customs House officers to remove their hats upon seeing it, a tribute to this work’s historical importance.
Currently on View at Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
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