Gutenberg used his innovation to print Bible copies.
Johannes Gutenberg used his invention to print roughly 180 copies of the Bible, today known as the Gutenberg Bible, in the early 1450s. The volumes were soon sold due to their exceptional condition, with some fetching as much as 30 Florins – around three years' earnings for a clerk at the time. The Gutenberg Bible was Europe's first mass-produced book, and it has since become a cultural symbol. Only 49 of the original 180 printed copies of the book remain, with less than half being complete. Libraries, museums, and universities are the most common places to find them. The last time a full Gutenberg Bible was sold was in 1978, for $2.2 million. A complete copy, according to experts, would now cost around $35 million at auction.
Gutenberg's invention revolutionized the world by allowing for the first time the mass production of books. Before Gutenberg, every book had to be copied by hand (except for Asia, where some printed books had been made much earlier). It was now able to accelerate the procedure without compromising quality. His invention did not make him wealthy, but it did lay the groundwork for the commercial mass printing of books, which meant that books became more affordable and accessible to a wider range of people.
