GUTENBERG Born in 1394-99? - Died in 1468 Enter your search terms Submit search form   Web gardenofpraise.com

Johanne Gutenberg (YO hahn GOO tn berg) was trying to invent a method of printing. He didn't have very much money left, but he would not give up. He continued to work on the great project.

While he was teen-ager working at his town's mint * ; the place where money was made, he got the idea for creating books by machine. Up until this time all the books had to be copied by hand. It was very slow, and it took a long, long time to make one book.

After the book was written, they would take a metal punch * and spell out the letters for the title on the front of the leather cover. Maybe this gave Gutenberg the idea for metal letters to write the words on the pages of the book.

His work at the mint helped him in making the metal letters for printing. The letters had to be the same height to look right.

Also at the mint he worked with a stamp press used to make government seals * . He used this knowledge to help him make a printing press.

Gutenberg Bible Photo by Reid Baker

When he needed money he went to John Fust, a moneylender * . He got the money to buy the material to make 46,000 pieces of movable type. He also hired 16 workers. He was able to print the first Bible, the Gutenberg Bible. Some of the first copies still exist today. They are among the world's greatest treasures. The method he invented for printing remained unchanged for many years.

Johann Gutenberg English version Biography of Gutenberg from World of Biography Gutenberg at Wikipedia (example of movable type) The Gutenberg Bible Johann Gutenberg Memorial

Johann Gutenberg and The Printing Press By Bruce Koscielniak / Houghton-mifflin Look at this book! If it had been published 600 years ago it would have been copied out by hand by a scribe in a monastery and probably would have taken months to produce. But thanks to Johann Gutenberg, in the fifteenth century modern printing was born and nowadays it can take only a few seconds to print a book. Gutenberg invented the printing press as well as a new type of ink and a new way to cast type. Open this book to learn the incredible story of Johann Gutenberg and the history of early printing and publishing. Bruce Koscielniak has crafted an informative and entertaining book (and we printed thousands of copies!) about one of the most important inventions of all time. Recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Ink on His Fingers By Louise A. Vernon / Herald Press John Gutenberg is working on printing the first Bible with type. Twelve-year-old Hands Dunne is planning on being a scribe and copying the Bible by hand. But circumstances change and he finds himself working in Gutenberg's shop as an apprentice printer. Soon, Hans finds himself in the middle of a type-stealing mystery. Herr Fust, the village banker, wants Gutenberg's type and tries every possible way to get his hands on it. Gutenberg is deep in debt and has borrowed from everyone in town. Gutenberg is sure that he will be able to pay everyone back one the Bible is printed, but he is running out of time. Will Hans, and the other pressmen be able to keep Herr Fust from getting the type? Will they be able to finish the Bible so many people will be able to read and learn from it?

The Story of Inventions By Michael McHugh / Christian Liberty Press Great inventions, historical biographies, strong morals, and the godly character traits necessary for success are highlighted in this collection of stories. From the steam engine and the printing press to television and computers, a wide range of inventions is covered in short chapters that include reading comprehension questions. For older elementary students. 354 pages, softcover from Christian Liberty Press.

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From Word Central's Student Dictionary
by Merriam - Webster
(Pronunciation note: the schwa sound is shown by &)

mint
Function: noun
: a place where coins, medals, and tokens are made...

punch
Function: noun
a : a tool for piercing, cutting, or stamping or for driving a nail
b : a device or machine for cutting holes or notches (as in paper or cardboard)...

seal
Function: noun
: a device with a cut or raised design or figure that can be pressed or stamped into paper or wax to form a mark
(as for certifying a signature)...

moneylender
Pronunciation: 'm&n-E-"len-d&r
Function: noun
: one whose business is lending money...

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This public domain image was found at the University of Texas

Biographies in this Series

Presidents of the United States	George Washington 1st U.S. President	John Adams 2nd U.S. President	Thomas Jefferson 3rd U.S.President
	James Monroe 5th U.S. President	Andrew Jackson 7th U.S. President	Abraham Lincoln 16th U.S.President
	Franklin D. Roosevelt 32nd U.S. President	John F. Kennedy 35th U.S. President	James Madison 4th U.S. President
	Theodore Roosevelt 26th U.S. President
American Patriots	Benjamin Franklin patriot and statesman	Francis Scott Key Star Spangled Banner	Deborah Sampson woman soldier in the Revolutionary War
World Leaders	Constantine Roman Emperor	Alexander the Great conqueror	Winston Churchill British Prime Minister
Inventors	Alexander Graham Bell telephone	Johann Gutenberg printing press	Cyrus McCormick mechanical reaper
	The Wright Brothers first airplane	Henry Ford Automaker	Thomas A. Edison electric light bulb
	Sequoyah Cherokee alphabet	Nikola Tesla 700 patents	.
Explorers	Christopher Columbus explorer	Meriwether Lewis explorer	Robert Peary Arctic explorer
	John Muir Naturalist	Matthew Henson Arctic Explorer	Sir Edmund Hillary Mr.Everest
	Kit Carson Indian agent	"Johnny Appleseed" orchardist	.
Women who made a difference	Clara Barton founder of the Red Cross	Helen Keller overcame blindness & deafness	Florence Nightingale founder of nursing profession
	Joan of Arc religious and military leader	Amelia Earhart Aviator	Annie Oakley sharpshooter
	Susan B. Anthony Suffragette	Elizabeth Keckly Seamstress	Harriet Tubman deliverer of slaves
	Anne Frank Diarist	Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian	.
Scientists	George Washington Carver botanist and educator	Sir Isaac Newton explained gravity and properties of light	Marie Curie scientist, physicist
	Louis Pasteur Biologist	Albert Einstein physicist, genius	Galileo Astronomer, physicist
Educators	Noah Webster writer of dictionary	Booker T. Washington leader and educator	Aristotle Greek philosopher
Physicians	Hippocrates father of medicine	Walter Reed discovered cause of yellow fever	Albert Schweitzer humanitarian
Religious Leaders	Increase Mather Salem witch trials	.
Athletes	Lou Gehrig baseball player	Wilma Rudolph Olympic gold medal winner	Tiger Woods golfer
Civil Rights Leaders	Martin Luther King civil rights leader	Rosa Parks bus desegregation	Sojourner Truth Former slave
	Frederick Douglass Abolitionist	Mary Ann Shadd Cary Civil rights leader	James Forten Inventor, abolitionist
Composers	Beethoven composer
Artists	John James Audubon artist and naturalist	Gutzon Borglum sculptor, Mount Rushmore	Ansel Adams photographer

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