University acquires rare cultural treasure

Gutenberg’s invention, individual pieces of metal type (letters) which could be arranged in different words and sentences to form pages which were then printed, dramatically changed human history.

It hastened the spread of knowledge because books, previously only available to the church and the nobility, could be mass-produced and became widely available.

Printed between 1450 and 1455, only 48 of Gutenberg’s original180 bibles remain intact, and of those, only 16 are complete. 

Today, individual pages taken from incomplete or defective Gutenberg Bibles occasionally change hands, and are keenly sought as examples of the first printed book.

The University of Melbourne joins only three other Australian institutions whose collections include a page from a Gutenberg Bible: The National Library of Australia, State Library of New South Wales, and State Library of Victoria. There are no complete Bibles in Australia.

University Librarian Philip Kent said  Melbourne had the best rare book collection among Australian universities, which included a rare bible printed in 1492 by Schoeffer, Gutenberg’s apprentice, so it was appropriate to round out the collection with the Gutenberg page.

Mr Kent said the page would benefit many members of the University community.

“We often use our collections for learning, teaching and research, and though a lot of material is being digitised, real scholars like to come and see, and touch, and smell the original works,” he said. 

“Many classes come to see these treasures, which is something very special about being a student at Melbourne. Our students have experiences they can’t have anywhere else.”

Director of Collections Jock Murphy said the acquisition built on the particular strengths in the University’s collections. 

“Our staff support teaching in the history of printing, so now when they’re teaching, they can show a leaf from the first book ever printed.” he said.