The Gutenberg Bible is widely regarded as the first major European book printed with movable metal type.
Johannes Gutenberg produced the Bible in Mainz around 1454–1455 using a press and reusable metal type. It is also known as the 42-line Bible because most pages contain 42 lines in two columns. The work marked a major turning point in the history of European printing.
Gutenberg’s process combined several innovations: durable metal type, oil-based ink, a screw press adapted from existing technologies, and careful typesetting. Printing did not begin with Gutenberg worldwide—woodblock printing and movable type had much earlier histories in East Asia—but his system transformed European book production.
Around 180 copies were probably produced, on paper and vellum. Fewer than 50 copies or substantial fragments are known to survive. The text is based on the Latin Vulgate Bible, and many copies were decorated by hand after printing.