In our day, the idea of personal identity is a constant part of how we communicate with others. We describe ourselves in many ways. These include our everyday interests as well as the deepest parts of who we are. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe we are spiritually related to our Heavenly Father in a literal way. We sing, “I am a child of God,” and we mean it. This belief shapes how we see ourselves and how we understand the world around us.

In the beginning was the Word. The beginning of the printed word came with the Gutenberg Bible, the first major European book printed using metal movable type. Similar books were printed in Korea nearly a century earlier. Little is known about Johann Gutenberg himself. Around 1450, he likely began preparing for this large printing project, setting each letter by hand. By 1454 or 1455, the first copies appeared. They sold quickly for about 30 florins, which was equal to three years’ wages. About 180 copies were printed, and only 21 complete copies remain today.