From Jikji to Gutenberg

From Jikji to Gutenberg represents a preliminary investigation into the origins of moveable type and the first books printed from it in both the East and the West. When asked who was the 'first book printer,' people in the West usually answer 'Johann Gutenberg' of Mainz, Germany. And while his 42-line Bible (ca. 1454/55) is a masterwork and milestone among Western achievements, most grade-school children in South Korea can tell you that the Buddhist text, commonly referred to as Jikji, was printed from moveable metal type by monks in July 1377! Jikji is short for Baegun hwasang chorok buljo jikji simche yojeol [Anthology of Great Buddhist Priests' Zen Teachings], and it was printed in the Heungdeok-sa temple in Cheongju. In 2001 in recognition of the technological achievement of moveable metal type, UNESCO inscribed both Jikji (the oldest extant East Asian book printed with metal type) and Gutenberg's 42-line Bible on its Memory of the World International Register. To order to tell the origin story of these books, in 2020, the From Jikji to Gutenberg Project was formed, and after six years of discussion and collaboration, this book is offered as an introductory assessment of the surviving evidence surrounding humanity's shared aspiration to print and publish books.