Leaf from a Gutenberg Bible (Facsimile of the 1455 Edition)

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Highly Illuminated Title Page of Genesis

The Gutenberg Bible was the first major book to be printed on a press with movable type. It was an edition of the Vulgate, the Latin edition of the Bible produced by Jerome in the 4th century. The Vulgate served as the primary edition of the Scriptures in use by the Roman Catholic church until the Reformation. The Gutenberg Bible is widely recognized for its artistic qualities.

Although the Gutenberg Bible did not represent a step forward in scholarship, it was a historic milestone in paving the way for printing, widespread literacy, and knowledge of the Bible.

Only twenty-one complete Gutenberg Bibles survive today. The page displayed here is from a facsimile printed by Cooper Square Publishers in 1961 that had its origins in an authentic 1455 Gutenberg Bible in Paris, France.

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