(133k) |
 n or shortly
before 1455, Gutenberg printed a large two-volume Bible. It has been conjectured
that the edition consisted of about two hundred copies, some on vellum,
others on paper. (Extant copies include twelve on vellum and thirty-six
on paper). This Bible, consisting altogether of 643 leaves printed in double
columns of large, closely-woven type, is known by several names: the "42-line"
Bible, from the number of lines of type in a column; the "Mazarin" Bible,
for the seventeenth-century French cardinal in whose library a particularly
fine copy was housed; and the "Gutenberg" Bible from the belief that is
is essentially the creation of Johann Gutenberg. By whatever name, the volume
is considered to be the first substantial book printed from movable type.
 his outstanding reproduction
of the original, derived from the Mazarin copy, reveals the excellence
of design and craftsmanship employed by Gutenberg.
|
