First Book Printed in Portugal Published in Faro

1487

In 1487, the first book printed in Portugal was produced in Faro by Samuel Gacon, a Jewish printer. The book, a Hebrew-language edition of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible), was printed using movable type brought to the Algarve just decades after Gutenberg's invention transformed European publishing. Faro's Jewish community was prosperous and educated, and the production of this text reflected their scholarly tradition. The choice of Faro as the site of Portugal's first printed book may seem surprising given the city's peripheral location, but it speaks to the intellectual vitality of the Algarve's Jewish population in the late fifteenth century. Just a decade later, in 1497, King Manuel I ordered the forced conversion or expulsion of all Jews from Portugal, devastating these communities. The Faro Pentateuch survives in a small number of copies held by libraries in Europe and Israel, and its production is commemorated in Faro's old town.