JOHANN GUTENBERG. BtVS Intertext/Allusion.

In "Living Conditions," Giles claims to have an original demonography printed by Gutenberg.

Johannes Gutenberg (d.1468) is credited with the invention of moveable type, a system which utilized hand-set iron moulds for the lettering, instead of large wooden blocks for an entire page. Each letter on a page had its own iron block, laid out as style necessitated and held within a wooden frame. An oil-based ink was rolled over the blocks inside the frame, and paper pressed down onto the inked moulds. The first book to be printed on Gutenberg's press was a 42-page Bible in 1454-55.

Gutenberg's invention revolutionized the mass publication and circulation of the printed word. By the end of the fifteenth century, printing presses similar to Gutenberg's were found throughout Europe, contributing to the spread of culture, literature and ideologies. It wasn't until the nineteenth century that major innovations to the system were invented.

One of Gutenberg's Bibles is on permanent display at the University of Texas in Austin and has been digitized for the Internet. The British Library has also digitized their copies and has an excellent website on the background of the invention, the books, and the inventor.

--Jennifer Dowling