The Back-to-School-You series will feature Web3 literary projects you can discover, learn from, and often even participate in. These new-media experiments may add social aspects, gamified experiences, or long-term collectible appeal to underlying creative assets.
In the 15th Century, Johannes Gutenberg revolutionized European printing. His moveable-type printing press quickly reproduced works that once had to be written out by hand. As Gutenberg's press made books more widely available, knowledge spread, gatekeepers lost their power, and the modern world emerged.
In 2021, many hailed the earliest book-minters as modern-day Gutenberg presses. They arrived in a blaze of innovation, enabling the production of books that yoked the best traits of print and electronic formats with potential new uses on the blockchain. The ongoing Web3 publishing revolution is proceeding slower than many expected, but the technology continues to develop and spread.
One of the first decentralized books to roll off one of the first beta-edition minters was the Cryptoversal Gutenberg, which paid tribute to the pioneering work of Johannes Gutenberg and the ongoing spirit of technological and intellectual revolution.
The Cryptoversal Gutenberg
What is it?
The Cryptoversal Gutenberg is the first decentralized Bible and one of the earliest books of any kind to be minted to a blockchain and linked to a decentralized storage network. Only twelve copies were minted in the original Christmas 2021 print run of ERC-1155 tokens on the Polygon PoS blockchain in the PageDAO ReadMe Collection.
Other Gutenberg editions have been minted in the ensuing years, most notably the 2022 Book.io Gutenberg Bible collection on the Cardano blockchain, but the Cryptoversal Gutenberg will always be the oldest, rarest, and most complete of the Blockchain Vulgates.
Where can I find it?
One of the 12 original 2021 Cryptoversal Gutenbergs on Polygon is available through the OpenSea and Rarible marketplaces. This includes all 1284 scanned pages of a Gutenberg Bible presented as an unencrypted decentralized flipbook.
The 2022 Book.io Gutenberg Bible collection of 10,000 editions on Cardano is available through the JPEG Store marketplace. These each include 70 scans plus the remaining 1200+ unscanned pages of Latin text presented as an encrypted decentralized book viewable through the Book.io dApp.
Legend tells of a secret Optimistic edition of the Cryptoversal Gutenberg, minted in early 2023 from the same wallet as the original on an experimental PageDAO-based minter. Those who complete an arduous challenge may be rewarded with a copy...or so the sages claim.
How can I get involved?
The Cryptoversal Gutenberg is the patronage token for the Cryptoversal Web3 literary ecosystem. Patrons receive ongoing rewards, recognition on future projects, and opportunities to guide future creative endeavors.
But you don't have to own a Cryptoversal Gutenberg to join the Cult of the Cryptoversal Gutenberg. Another tier of support is available for VIP Members of the Cryptoversal Newsletter.
You've Been Schooled on...
Vagobond Magazine, a Web3 lifestyle magazine released for Kindle and as an NFT through the PageDAO and Readl platforms on the Polygon PoS blockchain and through Objkt on the Tezos blockchain.
The Cryptoversal Gutenberg, the first complete Bible published in a decentralized and blockchain-authenticated format, released as a patronage token for the Cryptoversal Web3 literary ecosystem to honor the innovative spirit of Johannes Gutenberg.
If you like what you've read, consider supporting my work by joining the VIP Membership tier of the Cryptoversal Newsletter, and be sure to visit the Cryptoversal Books website for more information on what I've been up to.
This newsletter is also available as a limited-edition collectible. Thanks for reading!
