Gutenberg Bible
The
Gutenberg Bible (also known as the
42-line Bible, and as the
Mazarin Bible) is a print of the Latin
Vulgate translation of the
Bible that was printed by its namesake,
Johann Gutenberg, in
Mainz,
Germany. The print run started on
February 23,
1455, using
moveable type. This Bible is the most famous
incunabulum and its production marked the beginning of the mass production of books in the West. It was printed in what would become known as
Textura and
Schwabacher.
A very complete copy comprises 1282 pages; most were bound in two volumes.
|
Detail showing both rubrication and illumination |
It is believed that about 180 copies of the Bible were produced, 45 on
vellum and 135 on paper, a number which boggled minds in societies which, from time immemorial, had to produce copies of written works laboriously by hand. Gutenberg produced these Bibles (which were printed, then
rubricated and
illuminated by hand), over a period of three years, the time it would have taken to produce one copy in a
Scriptorium. Because of the hand illumination, each copy is unique. Two-color printing techniques, which would have eliminated the need for rubrication, were developed later.
As of 2003, the number of known extant Gutenberg Bibles includes eleven complete copies on vellum, one copy of the
New Testament only on vellum, and 48 substantially complete integral copies on paper, with another divided copy on paper. The country with the most copies is Germany, which has twelve. Four cities have two copies: Paris, Moscow, Mainz and Vatican City; London has three copies plus the
Bagford Fragment; New York has four copies.
Austria (1)*
Österreichische Nationalbibliothek in
ViennaBelgium (1)*
Bibliotheque Universitaire in
MonsDenmark (1)*
Kongelige BibliotekFrance (3)*
Bibliotheque Nationale in
Paris (one of three
"perfect vellum" copies)
*
Bibliotheque Mazarine in Paris
*
Bibliotheque Municipale in
Saint-OmerGermany (12)*
Gutenberg Museum in
Mainz (2 copies)
*
Landesbibliothek in
Fulda*
Universitätsbibliothek in
Leipzig*
Niedersächsische Staats-und Universitätsbibliothek in
Göttingen*
Staatsbibliothek in
Berlin*
Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in
Munich*
Stadt- und Universitätsbibliothek in
Frankfurt-am-Main*
Hofbibliothek in
Aschaffenburg*
Württembergische Landesbibliothek in
Stuttgart*
Stadtbibliothek in
Trier*
Landesbibliothek in
KasselVatican City (2)*
Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana (one
vellum copy, one on paper)
Japan (1)*
Keio University Library in
TokyoPoland (1)*
Biblioteka Seminarium Duchownego in
PelpinPortugal (1)*Portuguese national library in
LisbonRussia (2)*
Russian State Library in
Moscow*
Lomonosow University Library in
MoscowSpain (2)*
Biblioteca Universitaria y Provincial in
Seville*
Biblioteca Pública Provincial in
BurgosSwitzerland (1)*
Bibliotheca Bodmeriana in
ColognyUnited Kingdom (8)*
British Library in
London (one of three
"perfect vellum" copies, one paper copy and the Bagford Fragment)
*
Lambeth Palace Library in London (decorated in England)
*
Bodleian Library in
Oxford*
University Library in
Cambridge*
Eton College Library in
Eton*
John Rylands Library in
Manchester*
National Library of Scotland in
EdinburghUnited States of America (10)*
Library of Congress in
Washington, DC (one of three
"perfect vellum" copies)
*
New York Public Library in
New York City*
Pierpont Morgan Library in
New York City (one copy on
vellum, 2 copies on paper)
*
Widener Library at
Harvard University in
Cambridge, Massachusetts*
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at
Yale University in
New Haven, Connecticut*
The Scheide Library at
Princeton University in
Princeton, New Jersey*
Indiana University Library at
Indiana University Bloomington in
Bloomington, Indiana (incomplete NT only)
*
Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the
University of Texas at Austin in
Austin, Texas*
Henry E. Huntington Library in
San Marino, California*
Bill Gates (Microsoft co-founder) owns a copy purchased from auction in 1994 at a cost of $30.8 million (USD).
In the movie
The Day after Tomorrow the copy posessed by the New York Public Library was likely the only book saved from the library in the evacuation of New York City due to a self professed fan of books wishing to preserve it on the basis of its historical significance, rather than the religious one.
*
Treasures in Full: Gutenberg Bible Complete digitized texts of the two Gutenberg bibles in the British Library
*
The University of Texas Ransom Center's Gutenberg Bible website including detailed images*
Online digital edition*
Gutenberg site made by the city of Mainz
