Editio Princeps: A History of the Gutenberg Bible (Harvey Miller Studies in the History of Culture)

by Eric White

The Gutenberg Bible is widely recognized as Europe's first printed book, a book that forever changed the world. However, despite its initial impact, fame was fleeting: for the better part of three centuries the Bible was virtually forgotten; only after two centuries of tenacious and contentious scholarship did it attain its iconic status as a monument of human invention. Editio princeps: A History of the Gutenberg Bible is the first book to tell the whole story of Europe's first printed edition, describing its creation at Mainz circa 1455, its impact on fifteenth-century life and religion, its fall into oblivion during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and its rediscovery and rise to worldwide fame during the centuries thereafter. This comprehensive study examines the forty-nine surviving Gutenberg Bibles, and fragments of at least fourteen others, in the chronological order in which they came to light. Combining close analysis of material clues within the Bibles themselves with fresh documentary discoveries, the book reconstructs the history of each copy in unprecedented depth, from its earliest known context through every change of ownership up to the present day. Along the way it introduces the colorful cast of proud possessors, crafty booksellers, observant travelers, and scholarly librarians who shaped our understanding of Europe's first printed book. Bringing the 'biographies' of all the Gutenberg Bibles together for the first time, this richly illustrated study contextualizes both the historic cultural impact of the editio princeps and its transformation into a world treasure.

456 pages, Hardcover

First published May 31, 2017

About the author

Librarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Others:
Eric White: Computer programming
Eric White: GR author, short stories

Reviews

[Arjen Dijkstra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Everything you always wanted to know about each and every Gutenberg. It's both and encyclopedia on the first proper book as well as a detective into the history of the book an the provenance of many copies of the Gutenberg Bible.

I spent a few weeks reading this at night and cannot think of a better way I could have passed my time.

[Mills College Library]

093 W5839 2017