The Luther Bible of 1534

The first Bible for the people

Martin Luther's Bible, first printed in 1534, was not only the first complete German publication of the Bible but also a major event in the history of Christianity. Luther's revolutionary translation, very modern in vernacular and interpretation, made the Bible accessible to laypeople for the first time in history and gave life to a new religion: Protestantism. The Luther Bible remains the most widely used version in the Germanic world today. In commemoration of Year of the Bible (2003), TASCHEN is publishing a sumptuous reprint of this seminal book. Including both the Old and New Testaments, separated into two volumes totaling over 1800 pages, TASCHEN's complete Luther Bible has been meticulously reproduced from a rare colored copy of the original. Careful attention has been paid to woodcuts and elaborate ornaments from the workshop of Lucas Cranach, which are printed in color and gold so as to be perfectly faithful to the original. Contained in a third volume is Stephan Füssel's introduction, providing an overview of Luther's life, a discussion of the significance of his bible, and detailed descriptions of the illustrations.

About the author:
Stephan Füssel is director of the Institute of the History of the Book at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, and holder of the Gutenberg Chair at the same university. He has published prolifically on the early days of printing, the sale and publication of books between the 18th and 20th centuries, and the future of communications.