Family Bibles - 1455 Gutenberg Bible

1455 Gutenberg Bible: The First Book Ever Printed

Facsimile Reproduction

The first thing ever printed by the inventor of the printing press, was a Latin Bible printed in Germany in 1455. A magnificent work of art, these Bibles were hand-illuminated with many full-color images and decorations. The limited edition facsimile reproductions we offer here are extremely rare.

In the 1450’s Gutenberg invented the movable-type printing press, forever changing how people would communicate. No longer was it necessary for books to be individually copied by hand; hundreds…even thousands of copies of a single book could be made on a printing press within a few months. The first book ever printed was a Latin Bible. One would think that the first book would have been very primitive and of poor quality, but this is absolutely not the case. Gutenberg’s Bible was a stunningly beautiful work done in beautiful type style, and then hand-illuminated in a rainbow of colors, as well as liquid gold. Even the paper used was of the highest quality and bore unusual and artful watermarks.

Only 22 complete Gutenberg Bibles are known to exist today. None are for sale, though it is estimated that should one come onto the world market, it would likely fetch $100 million!

The 4-Volume “Paris Edition” Gutenberg Bible Facsimile Set was modeled after the Gutenberg Bible kept at the Mazarin Library in Paris, France. It is pictured at the top of this webpage, and again at the bottom left corner. Originally produced in 1985, with suggested retail price of $9,500, it is a four volume set with four slipcases. The first two volumes are the 1455 Gutenberg Latin Bible, “Biblia Sacra”. The second two volumes are an English Language translation. All volumes are bound in ornately detailed cherry-red leather, with heavily gold-stamped spines. They are full-color on every page, and are so precisely like the original that the page watermarks appear in the same position on each 100% rag cotton linen sheet as they do in the original. Wow… that’s attention to detail! One person who reviewed this edition was quoted in the manufacturer’s prospectus as saying, “The pages even sound just like a real Gutenberg when you turn them…astonishingly accurate in every way.”

NOTE: This 1455 Gutenberg Bible facsimile is no longer available, however… full color high resolution digital editions of many ancient Bibles of the 1300’s through the 1800’s are available for free online access at BIBLES-ONLINE.NET