It was the first major book printed in the West using movable type and it marked the start of the 'Gutenberg Revolution' and the age of the printed book. His bible was printed on both paper and on vellum, which is parchment usually made from calfskin. Although the actual year is uncertain, it is known to have been sometime in the 1450’s – more than 550 years ago.
When he wrote Farenheit 451 in 1953, digital books were unheard of and the internet was still only in sci-fi/fantasy stories. Today, the story of Farenheit 451 is a wee bit ‘dated’ now that there are electronic books – ebooks. So as a digital indie, I find myself drawn back to Johannes Gutenberg who might be considered ‘dated’ in his own way, except – ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever.*’
Come back Johannes Gutenberg!
Wait – the Project Gutenberg exists, though it is only a digital collection, a library of works in the public domain. Project Gutenberg was started by Michael Hart in 1971 on the computer network that would become the internet.
I wonder what Gutenberg himself would think were he to return?
Perhaps pleased that his name has been perpetuated and that his works are worth millions.
* The opening line of the poem Endymion by John Keats, published (on paper) in 1818.