Overview

The invention of the printing press in Western Europe stands as one of the most important events in the history of human civilization. Though various printing processes had earlier appeared in Asia, it was the mechanical apparatus developed by Johannes Gutenberg (1398?-1468) that ushered in a new age of communications and comprehension with far-reaching implications that continue to shape our world and perception. The Gutenberg Bible, the first known printed book in the West, remains the marker by which 500 years of "print culture" began.

Prior to Gutenberg's invention, which involved the use of moveable type, books were expensive and relatively scarce, as each text was painstakingly copied by hand over a period of weeks or months. As a result, the transmission...