Gutenberg's Bible

Background Who was Gutenberg? The invention of printing with moveable type in mid-15th- Johann Gutenberg (c.1400–68) was born in Mainz to Friele century Europe is one of the most important developments in Gensfleisch and Else Wyrich, the daughter of a local burgher. the history of western culture and civilization. The printing of a ‘Gutenberg’ comes from the name of the house of his father Text from the Book of Esther, courtesy of The University of Manchester Latin Bible (c.1455) by Johann Gutenberg (c.1400–68) in Mainz, and paternal ancestors. Sometime before 1430, Gutenberg left Germany, from a forme of metal type, marked the beginning of Mainz for Strasbourg due to political strife. There he initiated a process that scarcely changed in its essentials for 400 years. a partnership for the mass production of pilgrim’s souvenirs Approximately five years after the Helmasperger Instrument, using a stamping process. He returned to Mainz by 1448, where, Gutenberg entered into a new partnership with the lawyer Conrad Gutenberg’s great achievement was in bringing together and perfecting in about 1450, entered into a partnership with the wealthy Humery. In 1460, an edition of the Catholicon (a Latin dictionary) the combination of moveable metal type, printing ink, and a wooden Johann Fust, and began the production of a 42-line Latin Bible. was published in Mainz. While Gutenberg’s name is suggested as its screw-press in order to make printing from type – as opposed to The Bible is known today not only for being the first substantial possible printer, there is much debate about whether or not he was through the use of woodcut blocks – possible for the first time in the book printed in Europe using the new technology of moveable actually involved in printing the Catholicon, or anything else for that western world. The chief advantage of the printing press over manuscript type as perfected by Gutenberg, but also for its aesthetic and matter, after the 1450s. In 1465, Gutenberg was granted a pension production was its ability to produce in a short period of time a large technical quality. To gain further revenue, he also did some as a courtier of the prince-archbishop of Mainz, which kept him from number of identical copies of any given work. This led to the rapid jobbing printing of shorter or single-sheet items, such as want. He died three years later in February 1468 and was buried in a dissemination of knowledge, to the forming of new communities of calendars, school books and indulgences, at the same time Franciscan church. Sadly, the church, along with Gutenberg’s grave, learning and scholarship, and eventually to the literate mass culture we the Bible was being printed. were destroyed in the Siege of 1793. Although Gutenberg’s name know today. was little-known after his death, the rediscovery of specimens of his 42-line Bible during the eighteenth century has led to worldwide In the Beginning: admiration and interest in his invention.

How many? It is estimated that Gutenberg Gutenberg’s printed 180 copies of the Bible, with around 140 copies printed on paper and another 40 on vellum. Of these, just 48 have Bible survived as partial or complete on view in the copies, along with numerous fragments and single leaves scattered all over the world. Baillieu Library The majority of copies are kept by institutions in Europe, the United Kingdom and the United 18–27 July 2014 States. The nearest bound copy to Australia is the single volume held by Keio University in Tokyo, Japan.

The first and only time the Indulgence (Mainz, 1454–5), courtesy of The University of Manchester Gutenberg Bible visited Decorated initial ‘P’ at the opening of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, courtesy of The University of Manchester Australia until now was as According to a document known as the Helmasperger part of a National Library of By 1501, less than fifty years after printing began, between 29,000 and Instrument (6 November 1455), a lawsuit was brought by Fust Australia exhibition in 2001. In 30,000 editions were produced. Press runs varied based on the amount against Gutenberg for monies owed. The funds were most likely fact, it was the very same copy, of capital invested and market demand. The number of copies printed in instrumental in the development of Gutenberg’s printing press, kindly lent by The University an edition, however, steadily increased from around 175 in the 1450s which was probably modelled after large screw presses used of Manchester’s John Rylands to over 1,000 by the 1490s. No fewer than 280 towns all over Europe for making wine. The court evidently decided in Fust’s favour, Library, presently on display in had seen printing presses installed during this period. A revolution had and it is presumed that Gutenberg was ordered to give up some the Baillieu Library. indeed taken place, one that paved the way to the democratisation of or all of his printing equipment in the verdict (Fust went on knowledge, freedom of expression, and many other values now held to establish a successful printing shop with the partnership’s Illuminated initial ‘O’;opening of the Book of Nahum, dear in Australia, the United Kingdom, and much of the world beyond. leading assistant, the calligrapher Peter Schöffer). courtesy of The University of Manchester Items displayed from Baillieu Special Collections Jacobus Philippus Abraham Lichtstein (ed.). Bergomenis. Ordinis Torat ha-temimah ... Lask, Fratru[m] Eremitarum Diui Poland: [s.n.], c.1828. Augustini, In omnimoda GATE 14 (exit only) TIN ALLEY TIN ALLEY historia nouissime Vocalised text of the Torah BALDWIN GATE 1 BOTANY NORTH EXTENSION SPENCER ELGIN ST congesta, Supplementum printed in Hebrew and Aramaic UNIVERSITY HOUSE PHYSICS

cronicaru[m] appellata. with commentary. REDMOND BARR Y NORTH FOOT BRIDGE UNION ROAD Venice: Bernardinum de COURT Benalijs Bergomensem, Johannes Meder. UNION GATE 2 SYSTEM BOTANY UNION LAWN LK 15 December 1486. Quadragesimale de filio GARDEN HOUSE PHYSICS prodigo. Basel: Michael ARCHITECTURE

SOR’S WA ELISABETH One of the few 15th-century Furter, 1495. DEAKIN COURT SPENCER ROAD MURDOCH TE R texts to mention Gutenberg and THE INSTITUTE OF LAND AND FOOD RESOURCES NATURAL THEATRE PROFES PHILOSOPHY BABEL the invention of printing. A collection of sermons written Above: Initial ‘R’ at the start of the prologue to Paul’s Epistle to the OLDRomans, PHYSIC Scourtesy of The University HERBARIUM RAYMOND IAN POT MUSEUM OF ART Y for Lent. Each sermon opens of Manchester, Front cover: Decorated initial ‘P’ at the opening of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, courtesyPRIESTLE Y Illuminated initial ‘P’;opening of the Book of Judges, courtesy of The University of Manchester GRAINGER OG MASSON ROAD GATE 3 Biblia latina. Mainz: Peter with a dialogue between an of MUSEUMThe University of Manchester; Woodcut depicting the city of Mainz from the NurembergUNIVERSITY Chronicle MACFARLAND PEDESTRIAN ENTRY ONLY OLD GATE 13 ZOOL ALL TOURS HALL COURT Schöffer, 23 February 1472. angel and the Prodigal Son. (Nuremberg, 1493), Special Collections, Baillieu Library, The University of STARTMelbourne HERE GEOLOGY OLD SONIA QUAD RICHARD BERRY Provenance of the copy at CHEMISTRY CUS COURT This 1472 Latin Bible is a reprint CHEMISTRY EAST WING of the edition printed a decade OLD GEOLOGY The John Rylands Library SOUTH SECURITY OFFICE earlier by Gutenberg’s former GATE 4 FARADAY STREET Until recently, the earliest information about the copy of the MONASH ROAD partners Johann Fust and Peter Location L GATE 12 GENETICS LANE Gutenberg Bible held by The John Rylands Library was that BAILLIEU CSHE Schöffer. Ground Floor WILSON HALL ALICE HOY it was first described in a catalogue of the marvelous book LIBRARY OA S SIDNEY Baillieu Library CHEMICAL MYER ASIA TER B collection owned by George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer [Biblia latina c.1455], Special Collections, Baillieu Library, The University of Melbourne NEUROSCIENCE L Columella, Cato the Elder, ENGINEERING 1 CENTRE WA The University of Melbourne E THE DAX CENTRE (1758–1834), in 1814. Although the first leaf of the Bible 2

Palladius and Varro. EET R bears an early ownership inscription, it is heavily erased ROYAL PARADE MEDICAL ROAD Victoria 3010 Scriptores rei rusticae. Psalmi Davidis regis, & A history of the world from ENUE CAR PARK DOUG McDONELL and has always proved impossible to read. However, in Venice: Nicolas Jenson, 1472. prophetae, lingva syriaca Creation to the late 15th-century

ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONI C ENGINEERING OLD METALLURGY MICROBIOLOGY CHEMICA L ENGINEERING 2013, multi-spectral digital imaging of the inscription … Lugduni Batavorum: known for its woodcut illustrations, AND IMMUNOLOGY Viewing hours are 11am MELBOURNE DENTAL SCHOOL AND ROYAL DENTAL HOSPITA OF MELBOURN BROWNLESS WILSON AV ERC rendered it legible, revealing the Bible was owned by the A collection of Classical texts Ex typographia Erpeniana, which includes a depiction of BIOMEDICAL to 5pm daily, including CTUR E FRANK GATE 11 LIBRARY LIBRARY TATE JOHN SMYTH Augustinian friars near Colmar in Alsace, France, located on agriculture; the Baillieu copy Linguarum Orientalium; the city of Mainz, Gutenberg’s weekends. TheJOHN final MEDLEY day is GATE 6 about 274 km south of Mainz. There the copy remained is decorated with an illuminated, prostant apud Iohannem birthplace, and where he HOWARD FLOREY

Sunday 27 July 2014 ENGINEERING ARTS SWANSTON ST until 1790, when the monastery was plundered by French white vine initial ‘E’. Maire, & Elzevirios, 1625. established the first printing shop. CENTRE S AND MANU FA revolutionaries and dissolved the following year. KERNOT ROAD 1888 BUILDING The Holy Bible: containing The Book of Psalms printed in Admission is free

MEDICAL BUILDING MECHANIC ENGINEERING These events in Colmar coincided with the newly discovered date all the books of the Old and Syriac and Latin. GEOMATICS CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL of Lord Spencer’s purchase of his Gutenberg Bible. Among Lord New Testaments … North Woodcut from Johannes Meder’s Quadragesimale No bags permitted in gallery ENGINEERING Spencer’s papers at the British Library is a receipt dated 29 October Hatfield, Mass; New York: de filio prodigo (Basel, 1495), Special Collections, [Robertus de Tumbalena]. ROYAL PARADE N 1790 for the total of £370 that he paid to the London bookseller Pennyroyal Caxton Press, Baillieu Library, The University of Melbourne Expositio super Cantica GATE 10 GATE 9 GATE 8 GATE 7 GRATTAN STREET Thomas Payne, Jr., for the ‘Mazarine Bible 2v.’ (the French nickname 1999. canticorum. Paris: Ulrich for the Gutenberg Bible) and other early printed books. Gering and Berthold Two-volume illustrated Bible A noble fragment: being Rembolt, 16 January 1498. produced by the artist Barry a leaf from the Gutenberg The Baillieu Library ExecutiveUNIVERSITY wishes to thank The John Rylands The copy remained in the Spencer family library until 1892, when SQUARE LEICESTER ST Library at The University ofCAR Manchester PARK for BARRY ST the generous loan of BOUVERIE ST Moser, who was influenced by Bible , 1450–1455 … New A well-known commentary on LITTLE GRATTAN ST

Lord Spencer’s book collection was purchased en bloc from the VINA PL the Gutenberg Bible. York: Gabriel Wells, 1921. the Song of Songs, also known its Gutenberg Bible for the 2014 Melbourne Rare Book Week Fifth Earl Spencer by Enriqueta Rylands (1843–1908), who founded MA L as the Song of Solomon or and Cultural TreasuresBERKELEY ST Festival. The John Rylands Library in memory of her late husband. The John Hortus sanitatis. Mainz: A single leaf of the Gutenberg Canticles, one of the books of Rylands Library opened in 1900 and merged with The University Jacob Meydenbach, Bible (c.1455) acquired by the the Old Testament. For more information: library.unimelb.edu.au/gutenberg of Manchester Library in 1972. Its collection of rare printed books 23 June 1491. Baillieu Library in 2011. (including 4,000 incunables), manuscripts, and archives is counted Hartmann Schedel. Liber among the finest such collections in the world. A modified Latin translation of a Novum Testamentum graece chronicarum [Nuremberg Greek text, which functioned as … Lipsiae: B. Tauchnitz, 1884. Chronicle]. Nuremberg: Woodcut depicting the city of Mainz from [Our thanks to Eric White, Southern Methodist University, for an herbal and an encyclopedia Anton Koberger, for Sebald the Nuremberg Chronicle (Nuremberg, 1493), allowing the Baillieu Library to quote from his findings regarding the of real and mythological plants, The New Testament printed in Schreyer and Sebastian Special Collections, Baillieu Library, The University Augustinian inscription and discovery of the 1790 acquisition date] animals, and minerals. Greek. Kammermeister, 12 July 1493. of Melbourne