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Sunday, March 2, 2008

Remembering Gutenberg's Artistry

Last month we journeyed to Southern California to attend the 41st version of the California International Antiquarian Book Fair in Los Angeles over the weekend of February 15—17th.

Nearly 200 dealers from the United States, Canada, Great Britain, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, Argentina, and Australia display samples of every kind of book imaginable. “Overwhelming” best describes the impact of spending a few hours wandering and browsing among these treasures. The next day we added an impromptu visit to the nearby Huntington Library.

This unique Library displays one of 12 copies of the 42-line Gutenberg Bible (regarded as the first book printed with moveable type by Johann Gutenberg around 1452 to 1455).

Truly amazing to see a book made over 500 years ago. Here’s a kind of contemporary tribute to Gutenberg’s pioneering accomplishments from some 20th Century artisans: