Johannes Gutenberg Profile PDF

Name Date Class ld History Activity People in Wor...

Name Date Class ld History Activity People in Wor 12 P r o f i le 1 Johannes Gutenberg (C. 1397–1468) He who first shortened the labour of copyists by device of in use well into Movable Types was disbanding hired armies, and cashier- the 1900s. ing most Kings and Senates, and creating a whole new In 1446 democratic world: he had invented the art of printing. Gutenberg From Sartor Resartus (1834) by Thomas Carlyle entered a part- nership with a The Gutenberg Bible, set and printed in man named 12 1455, is perhaps the most famous book in Johannes Fust. CHAPTER history. It is the product of the first success- Fust, a gold- ful attempt to use movable type and the smith, lent money to Gutenberg to help him printing press in an efficient way. These pursue his printing work. When the part- developments made it possible to print nership failed after five years—Gutenberg books and other materials quickly. During was apparently unable to repay the loan the centuries since then, the spread of when Fust demanded it—Gutenberg was books around the world—and the ideas forced to surrender his printing equipment they carry—has altered human life in pro- and supplies to Fust. Fust and his son-in- found ways. In developing this method of law continued printing. printing, Johannes Gutenberg secured his Gutenberg found patronage under a place in history. wealthy man in Mainz, thus enabling him Johannes Gutenberg was born to an aris- to continue to print. Apparently, he gave up tocratic family in Mainz, Germany, in about printing in 1465, perhaps due to failing eye- 1397. Mainz was a center for goldsmiths, sight. When he died in 1468, at nearly 70 and Gutenberg may have been trained in years old, he was not a wealthy man. He goldsmithing as a young man. When he was probably never knew, though he may have about 40, Gutenberg began his experiments dreamed, how his work would affect the with printing. He combined movable type, world in the centuries to come. Today, type molds, oil-based inks, and a special Mainz honors its most famous son through Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. printing press to create a workable printing the Gutenberg Museum and Johannes system. Many of these ideas existed, but Gutenberg University. His original work- Gutenberg improved, refined, and, most shop has been restored and preserved. important, combined them. The basic Fittingly, printing is an important industry method of printing he developed remained in the hometown of Johannes Gutenberg. REVIEWING THE PROFILE Directions: Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper. 1. In what trade was Gutenberg trained? 2. Critical Thinking Making Inferences. How might Gutenberg’s early training have helped him develop his method of printing? 3. Critical Thinking Drawing Conclusions. Write a paragraph in which you assess the impact and influence of Gutenberg’s work. 31