Project Gutenberg

I've been aware of Project Gutenberg and the like for some time but only now have I realized their full potential. I took an 8 and then 5 hour train ride to and from Chicago during the first half of the week, during which I spent many hours reading The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Decline and Fall by Gibbon through TextOnPhone which utilizes Project Gutenberg.
The availability of free books after their copyright has expired is a gift to the public. Now, regardless of class, race, and most importantly the end of all things, economic status one can read the finest classics of world literature.
Since the Project deems Gutenberg the honor of his name attached to their charitable work, I thought I'd discuss Gutenberg the man. (This will also enable me to utilize my new Britannica subscription.)
Johannes Gutenberg was a German printer who utilized a new form of printing that, "was used without important change until the 20th century." Apparently, what little we know of Gutenberg comes from financial documents with his name somewhere therein. When it was discovered that Gutenberg was working on something secret, those who were funding his exploits demanded a partnership. A five-year contract was drawn up and curiously it stipulated that if any of the partners died their heirs would not be brought into the partnership but compensated financially. Curious because one of the members did die and his heirs sued. Though they lost the trial revealed that Gutenberg was working on something new.
Gutenberg continued to work on the invention and he borrowed money from everybody. At least one who was willing at first would later sue Gutenberg wishing for a quick return on their loan. By 1455, Gutenberg had produced his famed Bible. Ten years later the archbishop of Mainz would pension Gutenberg but not before one of his loans from Johann Fust would backfire. Fust was the one who wanted a quick return and he won his suit, gaining control of many of Gutenberg's printing materials and printing on his own with them.
Some may criticize our canonization of Gutenberg because he was certainly not the first, and definitely not the first in the world. (The Chinese had discovered printing as early as twelve centuries before.) At least in the West, Gutenberg symbolizes so much. And for our minds it is much easier to put all that symbolism into one being. With Gutenberg we see printing and through the printing press we see the advent of journalism, the catalyst for the political pamphlet and a massive increase in books. If anyone has seen the global warming movie, The Day after Tomorrow you may recall the little soapbox about the written word. I tend to agree. The written word and through Gutenberg's its publication may be man's greatest invention.

The following are two links to Britannica's articles on the matter, one regarding printing and the other Gutenberg:

Gutenberg

Printing