Johannes Gutenberg | |
|---|---|
 Posthumous portrait of Gutenberg. No contemporary depictions survive.[1] | |
| Born | Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg c. 1393–1406 |
| Died | 3 February 1468 Mainz, Free City of Mainz |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | Inventing the printing press Introducing movable type to Europe |
Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg[a] (c. 1393–1406 – 3 February 1468) was a German inventor and craftsman who invented the movable-type printing press. Though movable type was already in use in East Asia, Gutenberg's invention of the printing press[2] enabled a much faster rate of printing. The printing press later spread across the world,[3] and led to an information revolution and the unprecedented mass-spread of literature throughout Europe. It had a profound impact on the development of the Renaissance, Reformation, and humanist movements.
His many contributions to printing include the invention of a process for mass-producing movable type; the use of oil-based ink for printing books;[4] adjustable molds;[5] mechanical movable type; and the invention of a wooden printing press similar to the agricultural screw presses of the period.[6] Gutenberg's method for making type is traditionally considered to have included a type metal alloy and a hand mould for casting type. The alloy was a mixture of lead, tin, and antimony that melted at a relatively low temperature for faster and more economical casting, cast well, and created a durable type.[7] His major work, the Gutenberg Bible, was the first printed version of the Bible and has been acclaimed for its high aesthetic and technical quality.
Gutenberg is often cited as among the most influential figures in human history and has been commemorated around the world. To celebrate the 500th anniversary of his birth in 1900, the Gutenberg Museum was founded in his hometown of Mainz. In 1997, Time Life picked Gutenberg's invention as the most important of the second millennium.[8]
- ^ Wagner 2000, p. 58.
- ^ Duchesne 2006, p. 83; Man 2002, pp. 112–115:
Encyclopædia Britannica 2006: "Printing":Chinese paper was suitable only for calligraphy or block-printing; there were no screw-based presses in the east, because they were not wine-drinkers, didn't have olives, and used other means to dry their paper.
The second necessary element was the concept of the printing press itself, an idea that had never been conceived in the Far East.
- ^ Füssel 2019, p. 7.
- ^ Sivulka 1998, p. 5.
- ^ "Gutenberg's Invention - Fonts.com". Fonts.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- ^ Whipps, Heather (26 May 2008). "How Gutenberg Changed the World". Live Science. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- ^ Lyons 2011, p. 56.
- ^ Friedman, Robert, ed. (1998). The Life Millennium : the 100 most important events & people of the past 1000 years. Life Books, Time Inc.; Distributed by Bulfinch Press. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-8212-2557-8. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
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