Books with title Johannes Gutenberg: Inventor of the Printing Press

If a book was published 600 years ago, it would have been copied out by hand by a scribe in a monastery and probably would have taken months to produce. But thanks to Johann Gutenberg in the fifteenth century, modern printing was born and nowadays it can take only a few seconds to print a book. Gutenberg invented the printing press as well as a new type of ink and a new way to cast type. Learn the incredible story of Johann Gutenberg and the history of early printing and publishing.

Without Johann Gutenberg, the way we read, write, and distribute printed information would be completely different. Readers will take a close look at the life of the man who invented the printing press, an invention that revolutionized publishing. This book takes readers through Gutenbergs early years as a goldsmith, and how they led to his invention of a moveable type machine. Engaging and information-rich text is paired with vivid photographs and a timeline to make this a dynamic read, one that supports both STEM and history curricula in an accessible way.

Can one invention really change the world? Before the mid-fifteenth century, books were printed by hand, making them rare and expensive. Reading and learning remained a privilege of the wealthy—until Johannes Gutenberg developed a machine called the printing press. Gutenberg, a German metalworker, began in the 1440s by making movable type—small metal letters that were arranged to form words and sentences, replacing handwritten letters. Movable type fit into frames on the printing press, and the press then produced many copies of the same page. As movable type and the printing press made book production much faster and less expensive, reading material of all kinds became available to a far wider audience. In Gutenberg’s time, Europe was already on the brink of a new age—an explosion of world exploration, scientific discoveries, and political and religious changes. Gutenberg’s printing press helped propel Europe into the modern era, and his legacy remains in the thousands of books and newspapers printed each year to keep us informed, entertained, and connected. Indeed, Gutenberg’s development of the printing press became one of history’s pivotal moments.

Without Johann Gutenberg, the way we read, write, and distribute printed information would be completely different. Readers will take a close look at the life of the man who invented the printing press, an invention that revolutionized publishing. This book takes readers through Gutenbergs early years as a goldsmith, and how they led to his invention of a moveable type machine. Engaging and information-rich text is paired with vivid photographs and a timeline to make this a dynamic read, one that supports both STEM and history curricula in an accessible way.