by Mignon Fogarty

Johannes Gutenberg invented the European printing press and is the namesake of the Gutenberg Bible, one of the first books to be printed in mass production using movable type.

Although "mass production" in this sense means a little more than one hundred copies, Gutenberg's printing made the Bible more affordable than the handwritten copies available at the time, which could take more than a year to produce. Gutenberg's printing process was revolutionary and heralded in the age of printed books and the Renaissance.

The Gutenberg Bible is the most famous book published by Gutenberg, but people believe he printed other books earlier, possibly Latin grammar schoolbooks.

Read about more language rock stars in The Grammar Devotional:

Print: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powell’s

E-book: Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Apple iBook