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The Gutenberg or 42-line Bible was the first substantial book printed in Europe, completed in Mainz about 1454-55. It was made to resemble a manuscript, with blank spaces left for the illumination. Copies were sent out for sale across Europe, and were decorated on arrival.
The invention of printing changed the whole intellectual world for ever. Inevitable, the first printed books were imitation manuscripts. In the present page from Gutenberg's 42-line Bible, the letters closely imitate scripts and the decoration is added by hand.
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