One of the most frequently asked questions in Gleeson Library’s Donohue Rare Book Room is: What is the oldest printed item in the collection? While we hold earlier examples of printing made from woodblocks, a leaf from the Gutenberg Bible is our oldest example of printing from moveable type, the innovation that transformed the production and circulation of books in the West.
We are delighted to share that this remarkable fragment has now been digitized and is available to explore online. The leaf comes from A Noble Fragment, a leaf book published by Gabriel Wells in 1921. Wells acquired an imperfect Gutenberg Bible, disbound it, and distributed individual leaves paired with an essay by A. Edward Newton. Although the idea of breaking apart such a rare book might seem unthinkable today, this act allowed pieces of Gutenberg’s achievement to reach libraries and collectors around the world.
Our leaf contains the text of Ecclesiastes, Chapters 6 and 7, printed in Latin in Mainz, Germany, between 1450 and 1455. The 42 lines of blackletter type seem to mimic the look of a hand-copied manuscript, with wide margins left for initials and red rubrication marking the verses.
In the newly digitized image, you can read Ecclesiastes 6:15, a verse that speaks to the enduring value of friendship:
Amico fideli nulla est co[m]paratio: et non e[st] digna ponderatio auri et argenti co[n]tra bonitatem fidei illius.
There is no comparison to a faithful friend: and gold and silver are not worth the weight of his faithfulness.
From metal type to digital image, this leaf continues to endure and reach new audiences. We invite you to click through to Gleeson Library digital collections to see this early milestone in the history of printing.