Johann Gutenberg is no less than the man who revolutionized the world through the introduction of the printing press to Europe, hence, the availability of learning to all people. His use of movable type, ink and a printing press quite simply changed the world. Of the man personally, little is known – after all, no one was printing up biographies yet. Much of our knowledge of him comes from court records, wherein he is either suing (for a broken promise of marriage, no less), or being sued, or inheriting his father’s estate. He appears to have continued in his father’s trade, gold-smithing, before concentrating on the printing work. Largely unsung and financially unsuccessful in his lifetime, this giant of modernity is widely acknowledged today. His masterpiece was the Gutenberg Bible, two copies of which (of about 48 known copies, complete and incomplete) reside in the British Library. Should you be interested in purchasing a complete copy, please be prepared to fork over about $35 million.
