Mainz Psalter

Opening (Royal Collection)
From the 1459 second edition : with an illuminated letter
The Mainz Psalter (1457) of George III, rebound in 1800
Printer's mark of Johann Fust and Peter Schoeffer

The Mainz Psalter was the second major book printed with movable type in the West;[1] the first was the Gutenberg Bible. It is a psalter commissioned by the Mainz archbishop in 1457. The Psalter introduced several innovations: it was the first book to feature a printed date of publication, a printed colophon, two sizes of type, printed decorative initials, and the first to be printed in three colours.[1] The colophon also contains the first example of a printer's mark.[2] It was the first important publication issued by Johann Fust and Peter Schoeffer following their split from Johannes Gutenberg.

  1. ^ a b Ikeda, Mayumi (2010). "The first experiments in printing at the Fust-Schöffer press". In Wagner, Bettina; Reed, Marcia (eds.). Early Printed Books as Material Objects: Proceedings of the Conference Organized by the Ifla Rare Books and Manuscripts Section Munich, 19–21 August 2009. De Gruyter Sur. pp. 39–49. ISBN 978-3-11-025324-5.
  2. ^ Roberts, William (1893). Printers' Marks, by. London: George Bell & Sons, York Street, Covent Garden, & New York.