The Gutenberg Bible of 1454

　　古騰堡聖經為西方第一本以「活字排版印刷」製成的書籍，1454年古騰堡創先例，開始使用「金屬製」的活字字母來排版。此書排版之精美，已成為人類重要的文化遺產，被聯合國教科文組織列為「世界共同記憶」計畫。

　　古騰堡從1454年起開始印刷這部聖經，1455年2月23日，這位德國發明家用活字印刷術印刷完成《古騰堡聖經》，這部著名的古版書是歐洲首部以活字印刷術完整印刷的書籍，印刷精美，後世讚譽《古騰堡聖經》的美學價值及工藝價值極高，被視為中世紀邁向現代社會的重要轉折點，聖經也成為全世界最暢銷的書。

　　古騰堡發明活字印刷術被視為現代史上的重大事件，推動印刷術的改革；古騰堡的活字印刷術在歐洲快速普及。後世認為古騰堡的發明在隨後興起的歐洲文藝復興、宗教改革、科學革命等扮演重要角色，並為現代的知識經濟與傳播奠定基礎。

　　這本完整古騰堡聖經再版資料來自全球少數僅存的羊皮紙手稿版本:德國歌廷根國家圖書館版本(Gottingen Library)，也因此成為全世界最有價值的書籍之一。本套書兩本共1282頁，還附一本導讀本，由德國美茵茲大學古騰堡主席Stephan Fussel執筆。

The Book That Changed the World
A complete reprint of the revolutionary Gutenberg Bible

The printing press has been called the greatest invention of the second millennium. Published in Mainz around 1454, the Gutenberg Bible was the first major Western publication to be printed with movable metal type, ushering in a whole new age of knowledge distribution through mass-produced books.

Before Gutenberg, woodcut printing and early forms of movable type printing had been mastered in Asia, but had yet to reach Europe. Instead, each book had to be copied by hand in a long, labor-intensive process. Not only did Gutenberg''s innovation of mechanical movable type significantly speed up production without sacrificing quality, it irreversibly enriched public knowledge, pioneering mass communication and allowing people to access ideas and participate in discussions like never before. When it comes to radical revolutions in media, the Gutenberg Bible is up there with the Internet.

This fascimile edition derives from one of the very few surviving complete vellum Latin originals worldwide; the G ttingen Library edition, one of the most valuable books in the world, listed in the UNESCO Memory of the World program. All 1,282 pages of this artistic and technological masterwork are included, along with a companion book written by Stephan F ssel, Gutenberg-Chair at Mainz University, introducing Gutenberg, his transformative influence, and two important documents of the time: the G ttingen Model Book which was used to illuminate the G ttingen Library edition and the only surviving notary document by Ulrich Helmasperger, which records the history of this unique invention and its product, the Gutenberg Bible.