For sale: a reproduction of the Gutenberg Press

A very interesting item has been listed for sale on AbeBooks.com – a fully functioning reproduction of the Gutenberg Press.  You can put a piece of history in your living room and print your own books. It’s one third scale of the original and hand-built from oak, and the seller reports that it is more than 138 years old.

It measures about 3 ½ feet high x 3″ feet wide and weighs approximately 150 lbs. It comes with a 1/3 scale magnesium stereotype plate of a 1611 King James Bible page, featuring the Ten Commandments, Exodus 20.

Johann Gutenberg’s press and his movable type revolutionised the world and paved the way for the first form of mass communication.

The price is about £4,370 ($6,500).