The Gutenberg Bible

The Most Revolutionary Book in History

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The man who deserves the credit for the invention of the first practical method of printing is Johannes Gutenberg. The fruit of his mind is regarded as Germanys greatest contribution to the development of civilization and each saved specimen of Gutenbergs Bible is an art masterpiece worth a fortune. At his time, a book was so expensive that only a few could afford to own one. The Master from Mainz intended to print many identical Bibles which would have been much cheaper than handwritten copies and just as beautiful. In the years 1452-1455, about 180 copies of the two-volume Bible were printed , written in the Gothic Latin (littera textualis) font which was then in use among the amanuensis artists.

The man who changed History

The Pelplin specimen contains the Latin text of the Holy Scripture in the translation by Saint Hieronymus and carries comments and prologues taken from the Vulgate. Out of 149 initials, the most beautiful is the first one made in the form of letter F, in blue ink, inlaid with gold and showing a beautiful marginal ornament. The remaining initials are two-colour - blue and red with a delicate feather-like ornament. Additionally, the exceptional significance of the Pelplin Bible is increased by a tiny, but exceedingly precious detail. On folio 46 of the first volume there is a smudge 25x7 mm (0.98 x 0.28 in) in size. Fortunately, the preserved smudge is a reflection of a type shape which undoubtedly fell from the hands of a typesetter. The trace allows a present day scholar to reconstruct Gutenbergs type which is of invaluable importance for the typographys historians.

The Pelplin Specimen and its story

The two-volume book, most probably acquired by Rev. Chrapicki, the Bishop of Chelmno (1496-1508), was presented to the Franciscan Order in Lubawa. Before World War II, the Pelplin copy of the Bible risked to get lost as its high commercial value would have made it a highly profitable item to be sold by the Diocese. Only a heated debate involving the press and some bibliophiles prevented the Diocese from selling it. In 1939, Rev. Dr. Liedtke took the Bible away from Pelplin hidden in a suitcase and deposited it at the Bank of Domestic Economy from where, along with other national treasures, it reached Paris. On the eve of the taking over of the French capital city by German troops, Prof. Estreicher took the Bible to England on a small ship. After a short stay in London, the Pelplin treasure continued its journey through Canada, then to return to Poland after 20 years in 1959.

Fine Art Facsimile Edition

A great effort has been put by the Publisher to offer to scholars and professors an invaluable instrument for research and teaching. In this reprint of the Gutenberg Bible, in fact, all the initials and ornaments, originally made by a calligrapher and rubricator, have been hand-repainted. The initials are two-colour, blue and red, with a subtle feather-like ornament. Extremely thin 000 brushes were used to paint these ornaments: during the repainting process, it showed that the original illuminator might have been left-handed, as the reproduction of the ornaments was most successfull when performed with the left hand. Every single folio has one of the watermark (Bulls head, Grape Clusters of two kind and Ox) exactly as in the original.

A complete reproduction on watermarked paper of the Gutenberg Bible; Hub.28 - Pelplin Diocesan Museum - Poland

Format: 44 x 28.9 cm (17.32 x 11.38), 640 folios in two volumes All the initials and ornaments, originally made by a calligrapher and rubricator, in the reprint of the Gutenberg Bible are hand-repainted

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The first initial has been reproduced exactly as in the original: a true gold leaf (24 ct) has been laid by hand by a modern illuminator and polished with agate. The ornaments have been reproduced carefully by hand.

The binding of the reprint is an exact copy of the stunning one created by Henricus Coster of Lbeck in the 15th century. It consists of two oak planks dressed in goat red leather and provided with brass buttons, corner metal fittings and buckles fitted to leather straps.

Limited edition of 198 numbered and certified copies by the Publisher and His Eminence Pelplin Bishop Perfect reproduction of the leather suitcase which carried the Bible during the Second World War through its salvation Commentary in English compiled by Jan Piroyski, Tadeusz Serocki and Janusz Tondel

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A Resource for Libraries and Institutions

Vi a Ta g l i a m e n t o , 6 / 2 - 4 1 0 5 1 M o n t a l e R a n g o n e ( M O ) - I t a l y PI: IT03129640367 I s c r. REA: Modena 361762 M o b i l e : + 3 9 ( 3 2 9 ) 3 1 6 9 9 1 2 Te l : + 3 9 ( 0 5 9 ) 9 7 8 0 6 4 6

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