Reflection on how Goldsmith from a Small German Town has Changed the History and inspired me

Each and every day is our chance to learn and grow. It is our chance to do a positive impact action, regardless of the situation we find ourselves in. Today was no different. However, each and every one of us has a “guilty pleasure”. This is rarely a set activity for me, so today was a day to see what historical events happened on February 23.

Looking through the events and special days like National Banana Bread day and National Dog Biscuit Day (somehow connected to Monday as well), the date of 1455 has caught my eye. On February 23 in 1455, the Bible of Johannes Gutenberg was printed. Sure enough, there were books printed before, however this one was a very progressive thought for that time. It was the way it was printed that set it apart from the rest of the printing at that time.

Previously, books were printed in both China and Korea, using movable technology. To put it in perspective, we have a surviving book in Jikji Korea dated as far as 1377. Yet, printing the Bible using this particular movable metal technology became a landmark in European history.

Johannes Gutenberg was a German goldsmith and inventor. It is unclear if he knew about the existence of the technology in Asia, was inspired by stories brought by merchants or invented something very similar himself. Yet the Gutenberg Bible became a borderline revolution for Europe.

The choice of standard 4th century translation is not a surprising one. Nowadays, we see many translations of the Bible, and we know to be careful about which translation we can trust. Unfortunately, translations are never as good as the original. Furthermore, we know now that some translations have been “adopted” to suit certain narratives and agendas.

Going back to the event, we have to ask ourselves – how did this printing become different to anything previously known to humanity. The Bible is always relevant to our lives. So it is a little wonder that people always wanted to read and learn it. Reading for ourselves is a critical ability of our time.

Without a printed version of the texts, it was often handwritten. Gutenberg has made a decision to try to mimic handwritten style by not including titles or page numbers, left pages for decorations, red initials and illuminations. It is estimated that all up there were up to 180 copies printed, with only about 30 done on the calfskin parchment. These allowed variation of the price, with calfskin surely aimed at nobles and clergy. With a particular setup of text divided to 2 columns of 42 lines each, the edition became known as the “42-line Bible”.

It is hard to imagine the scope of work that had to be put into such a project. We know that it took years to set up and produce. February 23 of 1455 is the date of publication, however the availability date is closer to mid-August 1456. It was a true work of art, and nowadays we still have 21 complete copies that survived. For example, the photo below is an illustration of the surviving copy on display.

The project to provide a clear text that could be read without glasses was absolutely revolutionary. The price for such a beautiful book was around 2 years’ wages, however it was much cheaper than acquiring a handwritten copy. Furthermore, as previously discussed, this could be mass-produced and reproduced. With Chinese technology, the speed of production was around 40 pages per worker per day, Gutenberg used the technology that allowed production of more than 1,500 pages per worker per day by the end of the century.

Contributing factors were the use of lead-tin alloy, unlike wood or later clay like porcelain. Surely led was a much more durable option. Even later on, when the advancement of bronze was used, it was not as efficient. The lower melting point of the lead-tin alloy allowed it to be melted more easily and faster into the matrix-like mould, whereas durable bronze used a sand mould to manage the higher melting point.

Changing ink from the water based to oil based was a very successful innovation as well, especially when the printing was done by the metal press, and impressions were made on a thicker paper or calfskin.

All of the above are fascinating facts, yet my inspiration for today became something Gutenberg did not invent. He actually repurposed something to achieve great results. You see, previously in Chinese and Korean technology, people used to put paper on the inked type and rub it manually. It was a very hard job, and since people apply different pressure, the print was not as even. However, Gutenberg took a look at the screw press and decided to use it to make impressions (one pull and the page has consistent quality).

It takes a true genius to look into something used to crush fruit (olives into oil or grapes into juice) and realise how to use it. Sure enough, adaptation was required, however this is the lesson of the day – there is absolutely no need to invent the wheel over and over again. Often, the answer is staring at us and we need to learn how to recognise it.

After all the incredible inventions and such an impact, Gutenberg died relatively poor due to the need to repay loans. Innovations are expensive, and we have to be responsible for the loans and agreements we are entering into.

This genius innovation led to much wider availability of books, especially the Bible. As a clear result, the literacy levels and knowledge became more common, as well as bringing growth into our lives. As for me, it teaches me to embrace technology, try to see things outside their immediate use and continue to be inspired by history.