Can one invention really change the world? Before the mid-fifteenth century, books were printed by hand, making them rare and expensive. Reading and learning remained a privilege of the wealthy—until Johannes Gutenberg developed a machine called the printing press. Gutenberg, a German metalworker, began in the 1440s by making movable type—small metal letters that were arranged to form words and sentences, replacing handwritten letters. Movable type fit into frames on the printing press, and the press then produced many copies of the same page. As movable type and the printing press made book production much faster and less expensive, reading material of all kinds became available to a far wider audience. In Gutenberg’s time, Europe was already on the brink of a new age—an explosion of world exploration, scientific discoveries, and political and religious changes. Gutenberg’s printing press helped propel Europe into the modern era, and his legacy remains in the thousands of books and newspapers printed each year to keep us informed, entertained, and connected. Indeed, Gutenberg’s development of the printing press became one of history’s pivotal moments.

Johannes Gutenberg, a man of the Renaissance, developed a printing press and transformed the world of books.

A history of the modern printing industry, including how paper and ink are made, looking particularly at the printing press invented by Gutenberg around 1450 but also at its precursors.

This title examines the remarkable life of Johannes Gutenberg and his innovation of the printing press. Readers will learn about Gutenberg's background and education, as well as his creation of the Gutenberg Bible for the Catholic Church. Color photos, detailed maps, and informative sidebars accompany easy-to-read, compelling text. Features include a timeline, facts, additional resources, web sites, a glossary, a bibliography, and an index. Publishing Pioneers is a series in Essential Library, an imprint of ABDO Publishing Company.

Johannes Gutenberg Archimedes once said, "Give me but a firm spot on which to stand and I shall move the earth." Well, Johannes Gutenberg must have been standing on granite because his impact on the world has been earth-shattering. Before his time, books were a rarity, only affordable for the rich or influential. So, in order to make books accessible for everyone, Gutenberg invented a printing press using movable type. Inside you will read about... - Gutenberg's Early Childhood - The Printing Press - Impact of German Movable Type Printing Press - Gutenberg's Books - Later Life and Death And much more! Printing became faster and cheaper. Suddenly books were available everywhere, which led to the lower classes in society learning to read and to write. People were discovering books, but they were unearthing much more than what they were reading. There was an explosion of information, very much like the Information Age of today, which set people on quests for the truth. This would lead to the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment, where fundamental human truths were challenged at every level. And it all started with a book.

Although he is credited with changing history through his invention of printing, Johann Gutenberg remains mysterious. In Fine Print, author Joann Johansen Burch pieces together Gutenberg's amazing story. When Johann was a child in the early 1400s, books were rare and sometimes very expensive. Each book had to be copied by hand, letter by letter. Gutenberg loved to read, and he often grew impatient waiting for the time-consuming bookmaking process to be completed. Young Gutenberg dreamed of finding a better way to make books. From his childhood in strife-torn Mainz through the many years of setbacks and bankruptcies, Gutenberg persevered in his belief that books could be made quickly and inexpensively. This is the story of the man who invented movable type and the printing press and gave the world the gift of books.