Gutenberg was born into a family of goldsmiths in Mainz, Germany. He worked in Strasbourg as a goldsmith until 1444 and whilst there developed with others the principle of casting reusable type in metal fonts and setting them in movable trays or galleys. Until this invention, printing had relied upon wooden blocks each of which was carved for the specific purpose. Gutenberg's method radically increased speed and reduced costs. Gutenberg, having returned to Mainz, is known to have printed an astronomical calendar in 1448, papal letters on indulgences in 1454 and two versions of the Bible, the 42-line version before 1456 and the 36-line version around 1461. Albeit others in Gutenberg's circle claimed their part in the invention, notably Schoeffer and Fust who published the famous…
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