Gutenberg's Bibles— Where To Find Them

The Gutenberg Bible is by far the most famous piece of printed material in the world. In 1455, German printer Johann Gutenberg began printing these Bibles on a hand made printing press using movable type. Also known as 42 line Bibles, these historic manuscripts mark an important time in history where publications could be mass produced instead of painfully hand copied.

There were originally 180 copies of the Gutenberg Bible. They were bound in leather in two volumes. The wealthy patrons around the European continent bought the most expensive of these Bibles printed on vellum. The rest of Gutenberg's Bibles were printed on a hemp based paper product that was considered to be not durable enough to stand the test of time.

Many of these Bibles are no longer in existence. Only a few complete copies of the 42 line bible are currently known to exist. In addition to these complete works, there is only one complete version of the New Testament outside of the eleven complete works. This version is on vellum. Additionally, there are 48 other copies of Gutenberg’s Bibles that were printed on the hemp based paper.

There are three perfect vellum copies still in existence. These Bibles are located in France, England, and the United States. In France, the complete vellum version is located in the Bibliotheque Nationale in the capital city of Paris. This massive library also houses a variety of rare and costly books. England’s copy of the complete vellum Gutenberg Bible is located in the country’s British Library in London. This library is home to a phenomenal collection of books, including original works by hometown hero, William Shakespeare. The third perfect vellum copy of the Gutenberg Bible is in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. A fourth and final perfect vellum copy of the Bible rests in Goettigen, Germany’s Universitaetsbibliothek.

Some of the other perfect copies of the Gutenberg Bible on paper are located in Austria, Germany, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, and the United States. In all, there are about eighteen perfect copies printed on hemp based paper which was at one time considered not durable enough.

One of the versions of the Gutenberg's Bible is also present in Asia in Tokyo's Keio University Library. This Bible happens to be an imperfect copy that was printed on the hemp-based paper. It was purchased for a whopping amount of $4.9 million by the Maruzen Company of Tokyo. In the year 1996 this Bible was given to the University.

Many imperfect copies of Gutenberg Bibles exist, mainly on the European continent. Universities, libraries, and private collections all over Europe boast these fantastic Bibles and should not be missed by any traveler.

If you are interested in seeing a copy—complete or incomplete—of a Gutenberg Bible, look to the World Wide Web. Many of these Bibles have been digitized and are available for viewing in the comfort of your own home. Look at the Gutenberg Bible census (http://clausenbooks. com/gutenbergcensus.htm) to find a Bible in an area near you or where you plan to travel.

Article Source: http://www.articlemonk.com

About the author: Brett Nga writes exclusively for For Bibles there's a wealth of knowledge on the website, plus while you're there sign up for the free newsletter. For more quality articles on Bible why not visit: www.forbibles.com/articles
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