Gutenberg Bible
Many people see the advent of the Gutenberg printing press as the most important moment in modern history. Before the printing press books had to be written out by hand. Books were scarce and literacy was reserved for the rich and powerful people, simply luxury. But the Gutenberg press changed all that! The first book that was printed on the press was unsurprising – The Bible. The first one was commissioned in 1456 and several hundred more followed, but as we know books are not designed to be durable, and very few remain. At the moment 21 full copies and 28 partial copies exist, held in the Library of Congress and other well-respected institutions. A complete first edition of the Bible can easily cost $35 million dollars!
