Gutenberg Bible (AKA "42-Line Bible") Printing History
Catalog entry for copy held by Harry Ransome Center copy at University of Texas, Austin.
Estimated press run = 180 copies--45 on parchment and 135 on paper
Surviving copies = 21 complete; 27 fragmentary (T = 48)
Size (approximate, from Ransome Center copy description) = 37 x 29 cm; 643 folios (1286 pages)
Parchment copy skin requirements = 170 calf skins per copy (x 35 copies = 5,950 calves) or 300 sheep per copy (x35 = 10,500 sheep)
Estimated time to print = about
6 days per copy; 3+ years for the complete press run of 135 perfected
(2-sidedleaf) copies, including "make-ready" waste sheets. (For
comparison, a Bible from Anglo-Saxon England ca. 1066 CE, [Royal MS 1 E.Viii]
in 2 volumes [OT/NT] 57 x 35 cm, 606 folios or 1212 pages laid out in
two-column format, 61 lines per column (ca. 147,000 lines of text),
est. 5 or 6 scribes working for about 12 years for 1 copy)
Contemporary cost = 30 florins, about 3 years' wages for a skilled clerk. (By some estimates, 30 florins in 1455 were worth about $1650--compare with cost of latest iPhone.)