Johannes Gutenberg: Books Were Copied by Hand… Then a Machine Changed Everything
Before Gutenberg, every book in Europe was copied by hand. He made letters from metal, a new ink and a printing press — and printed a Bible so clear you could read it without glasses. Learn five B1 words with the true story of Johannes Gutenberg.
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
In the Middle Ages, copying one Bible by hand could take a year or more.
Then a metalworker in Germany had an idea.
Soon, a book could be made in a fraction of the time.
This is the story of Johannes Gutenberg.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
. Something costs a lot of money.
Books were very .
. A is one side of a sheet of paper in a book.
Every was copied by hand.
. is a strong, shiny material, such as iron, lead or gold.
He made small letters out of .
. is the coloured liquid we use for writing and printing.
He needed a new that stuck to .
. A is a machine that presses onto paper.
His changed the world.
Now, one pattern: the present simple passive.
We use it when the action is more important than the person who does it.
People print millions of books every year.
Millions of books are printed every year.
Ready? Let's begin.
Johannes Gutenberg was born around 1400 in Mainz, a city on the River Rhine in Germany.
He became a skilled metalworker.
At that time, books were very .
Every was copied by hand, often by monks.
In the city of Strasbourg, he made small mirrors for a great religious festival.
Visitors held them up to catch the holy light.
But the festival was delayed by a year, and his money was stuck.
Secretly, he was working on a bigger idea.
What if letters could be made of and used again and again?
He made small letters out of .
Here is how it works.
Each letter is cast from hot .
The letters are set in lines to make a .
He needed a new that stuck to , so he made an oily one.
He built a wooden press, like the ones used to squeeze grapes.
The is covered with and pressed onto paper.
And it can be printed again and again.
Back in Mainz, he borrowed a lot of money from a rich man, Johann Fust.
Then he started his biggest project: a Bible of almost 1,300 .
About twenty workers helped him.
Would he finish it?
Around 1454, the Bibles were ready, about 180 copies.
A visitor wrote that the letters were so clear you could read them without glasses.
Every copy was sold.
But Fust wanted his money back.
In 1455, he took Gutenberg to court.
The court decided for Fust, and much of the workshop and the Bibles probably went to him.
Years later, in 1465, the Archbishop of Mainz honoured Gutenberg with new clothes, grain and wine every year.
He died in early 1468.
By 1500, were working in more than 250 towns in Europe.
Millions of books were printed.
His changed the world.
Ideas could now travel faster than ever.
Today, about 49 of his Bibles survive.
They are kept in famous libraries and museums.
And millions of books are printed every year.
Let's review. Books were very .
Every was copied by hand.
He made small letters out of .
He needed a new that stuck to .
His changed the world.
And remember: millions of books are printed every year.
Johannes Gutenberg's story teaches us: one good idea can open the door to knowledge for everyone.
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Step 3
Words from the story
Say the word, guess its meaning, then flip the card. Keep the ones you know, and practise the rest again.
Great work, you know every word in this story. Now try the quiz below.
expensive adjective
costing a lot of money
“Books were very expensive.”
page noun
one side of a sheet of paper in a book
“Every page was copied by hand.”
metal noun
a strong, shiny material such as iron, lead or gold
“He made small letters out of metal.”
ink noun
the coloured liquid used for writing and printing
“He needed a new ink that stuck to metal.”
printing press noun
a machine that presses ink onto paper to make many copies
“His printing press changed the world.”
movable type noun
single letters that can be moved and used again and again
“Movable type made printing much faster.”
scribe noun
a person who copied books and documents by hand
“A scribe could spend years on one Bible.”
printer noun
a person or a machine that prints books or papers
“Gutenberg was the first great printer in Europe.”
Grammar in the story
is / are + past participle (present simple passive)
We use it for: when the action is more important than the person who does it
- Millions of books are printed every year.
- Each letter is cast from hot metal.
- The page is covered with ink.
From the story
- Millions of books are printed every year.
- The letters are set in lines to make a page.
Find it in the story 7 times
Your turn
Millions of books printed every year.
Each letter is from hot metal.
His Bibles are in famous libraries.
Step 4
Story Challenge
9 quick rounds: choose, fill the gap, build the sentence and match the words. Answer in a row to build a streak and earn bonus points.
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Take it further
Before you watch: How many books do you have at home? How do you think books were made 600 years ago?
After you watch: Write three sentences about your country with the present simple passive. For example: Rice is grown in the south. English is taught in every school. Coffee is drunk all day.
Think about it: Gutenberg finished his great book, but he lost his workshop. Was his life a success? Which invention today is changing the world as much as the printing press did?
