Biblia Latina

Anna Deavere Smith: The world’s oldest known printed book comes from 9th-century China. Yet, for centuries after that, most books were still written and copied by hand. It wasn’t until the mid-15th century that the use of movable type became widespread, and the Gutenberg Bible—the first substantial book printed in Europe—heralded a radical shift in the way the world communicated.

At first glance, the Gutenberg Bible doesn’t look very different from the handwritten manuscripts that came before it. The dense Gothic typeface mimicked the common handwriting style of scribes in what is now Germany. Even the decorated, or rubricated, initial letters were a holdover from earlier manuscript traditions. 

But the ability to produce multiple copies of a single book quickly and efficiently? That was revolutionary. Michael Inman is Curator of Rare Books here at the Library.

Michael Inman: With the mass production of identical texts, you now had the opportunity for individuals in different places to be reading the same text at the same time, essentially, which promoted a conversation among readers and scholars. Individuals were able to debate the same ideas, in the same language, essentially.

And at the same time you begin to see language itself being codified—the grammar and syntax of language. 

Anna Deavere Smith: That in turn contributed to stronger bonds of national identity.

Michael Inman: When people are speaking the same language, when they identify with one another, they band together. And so what you begin to see in the wake of Gutenberg, in the centuries that follow, is the formation of modern Europe.