Gutenberg bible

The problem results from the acidic paper widely used in printing books in the past century. Ironically, books from the eighteenth, seventeenth, sixteenth, and even fifteenth century are in much better shape. Gutenberg Bibles contain paper that is in remarkably good condition. In those days, paper was made by hand from linen or rags, but in the nineteenth century, the demand for cheap paper skyrocketed. 

It is interesting to note that Gutenberg (1440s) used metal-based inks in printing the early Bibles. Zinc was used, along with copper and lead. These inks replaced those made of soot, which were prone to evanescence. 

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