Introduction
This exhibit illustrates the changes produced by the invention of the moveable type printing press in the 1450s. Moveable type allowed books to be printed inexpensively, not only increasing their number and availability but also the level of literacy throughout Europe. During this time, paper replaced parchment, woodcuts replaced illumination, books became smaller, and the printer became an integral part of society, while the scribe slowly faded into antiquity. The transformation of the symbolic nature of the medieval mind into a more modern, literate style can be seen in this shift from script to print.

Items on display (Case 1) Leaf from 12th Century Manuscript bible, ca. 1150. Leaf from Paris Manuscript Bible, ca. 1310. Picture of William Caxton, the first English printer. al-Mubashshir ibn Fatik, Abu al-Wafa. The dictes and sayings of the philosophers / a facsimile reproduction of the first book printed in England by William Caxton, in 1477. (London : Diploma Press, 1974. ) Leaf from a Froben Poor Mans Bible, 1495. Leaf from Erasmus Bible, 1522. Perottus, Nicolaus. Cornucopiae ad Lectorum. (Argentina: J. Pruss, 1506.) The chain on this 16th century Latin Lexicon kept thieves and overeager readers at bay. A common sight in the Middle Ages and Renaissance and testament to the value of books. Return to index

Perottus, Nicolaus. Cornucopiae ad Lectorum. (Argentina: J. Pruss, 1506.)

Illumination to Woodcut
Illumination not only served as illustration but added to the beauty and worth of a book. The scribe's skill was highly valued and sought after to render an eloquent edition of a revered tome of knowledge. Following the printing press, hand-illumination became impractical and expensive. Printers began using woodcuts- pictures carved into blocks of wood- which could be reused many times.

15th century illuminated manuscript leaf on vellum.

Detail. Leaf from Giunta Bible.

Items on Display (Case 2)

Illumination & Ornamentation-

• 15th century illuminated manuscript leaf on vellum.
• An early 15th century Flemish Book of Hours leaf.
• A 15th century French Book of Hours leaf, with goldwork on the illuminated initials.
• 13th century Hymnarium page.

• Giunta Bible leaf, 1519.
• Bodin, Jean. Les six livres de la repvbliqve. (Paris : Chez Iacques du Puis, 1577)
• Bishops Bible leaf, 1575.

Return to index

Johann Gutenberg: The Man from Mainz
Johann Gutenberg (1397-1468), a printer from Mainz, Germany, is credited with inventing the moveable type printing press. Although the Chinese are now acknowledged as the innovators of block printing, Gutenberg and another Mainz native, Johann Fust, began to use moveable type. This meant that the same letters could be used over and over. With block printing an entirely new piece of wood had to be carved for each page of a book. Many consider the Gutenberg Bible the best example of bookmaking and printing of all time. Only 47 of the 150-300 original copies made are still in existence today. It was partly due to this slow loss of originals that some were disassembled into their individual leaves and made available to a wider audience.

Items on Display (Case 3)

• Leaf from original Gutenberg Bible. Hosea 7:15-11:9, Bibla Sacra. (Mainz: J. Gutenberg, ca. 1454-1455.) It took Gutenberg 2 years to make the 46,000 characters which make up the Bible.
• Picture of Johann Gutenberg (1397-1468)
• A full-size facsimile of the two-volume Gutenberg Bible. The original Gutenberg Bible sold for 20 guilders ($1000) per copy in 1456. In 1978, the price tag rose to $1 million.

Books Too Fragile or Rare
Many times books that are centuries old are too rare or brittle to actively use. When this happens, facsimiles can be made. These allow researchers to continue to draw on the information he or she needs as it appears in the original without damaging it or having to perhaps travel thousands of miles to use it.

Items on Display (Case 4)

• Henry, Franoise. The Book of Kells : reproductions from the manuscript in Trinity College, Dublin. (New York : Knopf, 1974. ). Considered one of the most beautiful illuminated books, the Book of Kells was produced by Irish monks in the early ninth century. Its intricate patterns and vivid colors demonstrate that the skill of illumination began earlier than the Renaissance.
• The Astronomicon Caesareum of Petrus Apianus, ca. 1495-1552 (Apian, Peter. Astronomicum Caesareum. [Leipzig, Edition Leipzig, 1967]) , shows the extent to which a reproduction can be taken. Every detail of the original has been reproduced even down to the texture of the original parchment.
• Earliest published example of copper plate engraving: Ptolemy. Cosmographia (1478). (Amsterdam, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, 1966)
• Beowulf (1786 facsimile of ca. 900 manuscript) from The Thorkelin transcripts of Beowulf in facsimile. (Copenhagen, Rosenkilde and Bagger, 1951.)

Return to index

Between Pen and Print
For many years following the printing press printers attempted to replicate the beauty and intricacies of handmade books. The original script used in the Gutenberg Bible, for example, was patterned from the hand of the humanist scholar Petrarch. While the text was printed, many of its elements still were done by hand. Printers made pictures with woodcuts and then filled them in with colorful ink. Letters beginning paragraphs or sentences were written by hand. The art of the book had not yet been lost.

Items on Display (Case 5)

• Facsimilie of 15th century manuscript which combines exquisite illumination with printed text on paper.
• Leaf from Rusch Bible, first printed Latin Bible with glosses, 1480.
• Koberger Bible leaf, 1497, printed on paper.
• Reproduction of an elegant psalter printed in 1457 by Gutenbergs rivals in Mainz, Johann Fust and Peter Schoeffer. The large capital D was handwritten while the remainder of the page was printed. On paper.

The Art of Bookmaking
Much work went into the making of books: stitching, tanning the leather used, stretching and curing the parchment, penning words and illumination- all by hand. Once paper and printing presses became common the amount of work put into a single volume dropped markedly. However, book bindings remained virtually unchanged.

Items on Display (Case 6)

• Needham, Paul. Twelve centuries of bookbindings, 400-1600. (New York: Pierpont Morgan Library, c1979)
• Sermons by Gabriel Biel, 1499. Stamped vellum cover.
• French Bible leaf, ca. 1300, with scribal guidelines.
• 14th Century manuscript leaf on vellum.
• Avrin, Leila. Scribes, script, and books : the book arts from antiquity to the Renaissance. (Chicago: American Library Association, 1991)

Initial detail from 14th century manuscript on vellum.

Return to index

Parchment to Paper
Paper began its journey to Europe from far off China (221 B.C.) on the trade routes. Around 751, it arrived in Islam and by the 10th century Islamic Spain had several papermills. Because it was associated with the infidels or saracens of Islam, paper technology did not sweep across Europe until after the 1450s. Low demand for books slowed this spread as well. Thin sheets of calf or sheep skin called parchment or vellum (a bit thinner and finer) were used until this time. The relative ease and low cost of papermaking plus the greater demand for books at that time led to its soaring popularity.

Leaf from Paris Manuscript Bible,ca. 1310.

Items on Display (Case 7) Illuminated music manuscript on vellum, with the suture in the corner visible 15th century French Book of Hours leaf showing the fine paperlike nature of vellum. Italian Incunabula leaf, 1495. Leaf from Jenson Bible, printed on paper, 1476.

Return to index

Exhibit created by Kevin Brooks