Johannes Gutenberg is the first European printing house. The German book printer has created a way to print books with moving letters. The invention influenced the culture of Europe.
The method of printing books was proposed in the mid-1440s by Johann Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg. World history has changed its course thanks to this invention.
The idea of world significance
Little is known about the biography of the German book printer. He lived in the fifteenth century, only the acts of prominent personalities were recorded in documentary sources. Contemporaries managed to evaluate the works of Gutenberg, information about him is periodically found in historical descriptions. It is known that the boy was born in about 1400 in a wealthy family.
The mother of the future leader, Elsa Virich, was descended from cloth dealers, and her father, Frile Gensfleisch, belonged to the upper class of burghers. Johann's childhood and youth are not mentioned in any source. There are also no records of the baptism of the baby. There are suggestions that this is June 24, 1400.
The exact place of birth is unknown. According to several versions, it can be Mainz or Strasbourg. In the family, the boy was the youngest. In addition to the eldest son Frile, parents raised the daughters of Patce and Elsa. After school, Johann began training in the craft. He chose the work of the ancestors from the mother side. The master received the right to train apprentices. From 1434 he lived Gutenberg in Strasbourg.
He took up jewelry, polishing precious stones and producing mirrors. An idea appeared in the head of a young man to create a machine that prints books. In 1438, an organization called “Enterprise with Art” was created for implementation with one of the students Andreas Dritsen. The output of the invention was delayed due to the sudden death of a companion.
In 1440, typography appeared. In 1444, under the name of Wildfogel, the typographer tried to raise funds to further improve the development. The machine was a convex letter carved in mirror image. For printing on paper, special press and paint were required.
The main works
In 1448, a transaction was concluded in Mainz to pay certain amounts to modernize the development. Having become a new partner, the usurer Fust insisted on equal shares of profit. Gutenberg created several new fonts, printed the first grammar of Elijah Donatus, white papers and a couple of Bibles.
A book printed around 1455 is known as the main work of the printing house. The publication is kept at the Mainz Museum. The inventor created a resembling handwritten font, a subspecies of Gothic writing. Since already existing inks were not suitable for printing, Gutenberg had to create his own.
He added sulfur, lead, and copper to the composition. The letters acquired a blue-black color with an unusual gloss. For the heading, red paint was used. To combine the two tones, the page was twice passed through the machine. In Germany, a dozen of the once issued almost two hundred copies are stored. After the death of Dritzen in 1439, his children sued Gutenberg, insisting on the authorship of his father. The inventor has proved his right.
Some parts of the machine remained with the heirs of Andreas, Gutenberg had to restore them on their own. A new trial came in 1455. The former companion, Fust, complained of non-payment of interest. The printing house and its components became the property of the plaintiff. Again, I had to start all over again. The consequences of the two vessels had a strong effect on the printer.
Implementation
Gutenberg turned to Gumery. In 1460, Johann Balba's edition was published, and Latin grammar was printed. In 1465, service began with the Elector Adolf. The typographer died in 1468, February 3.
The development of Johann gained world fame. There are a lot of people posing as the first inventors of the printing device. In one of the reliable documents, Gutenberg's name is recorded by his apprentice Peter Shefer. After the destruction of the first sample, former employees of the printing house dispersed throughout Europe.
In other countries, they began to introduce new technology. Each called his teacher Gutenberg. Very quickly, typography swept Hungary, Italy, and Spain. Not one of the followers of the leader went to France. Parisians invited themselves to the work of German masters.
Due to its popularity, researchers from many countries tried to write works about a famous figure. Disputes about the authorship of the famous invention began during the life of Gutenberg. Mainz and Strasbourg challenged fame.
