Description: THE GENEVA BIBLE First Edition With Remarkable Original Binding and Significant Early Scottish Provenance From the Playfair Family Collection [Ancestral Family Notes in Manuscript (1680-1742)] Original Title, Double-Page Map, Etc. Rare Geneva, 1560 THE BIBLE AND HOLY SCRIPTURES CONTEYNED IN THE OLDE AND NEWE TESTAMENT, TRANSLATED ACCORDING TO THE EBRUE AND GREKE, AND CONFERRED WITH THE BEST TRANSLATIONS IN DIVERS LANGUGES... GENEVA: PRINTED BY ROULAND HALL, 1560. Bible in English [The Geneva Bible, First Edition] Quarto (App. 9.75 x 7.5 in). First edition of the "Geneva Bible," the first complete Bible in English printed in roman type with verse divisions. "More scholarly than any previous translation, it was largely the work of William Whittingham (1524?–79), afterwards Dean of Durham, Thomas Sampson (1517?–89) and Anthony Gilby (d. 1585)" (PMM). In contrast to Tyndale's and Coverdale's early versions, the tenor of the Geneva Bible's arguments and explanatory notes was Calvinist rather than Lutheran. In the New Testament the terms "elder" and "congregation" replaced "priest" and "church." The notes to the Apocalypse are stridently anti-Papist, for instance the scarlet woman of Revelation 17:4 is identified as "the Antichrist, that is, the Pope with ye whole bodie of his filthie creatures." "The community of Marian exiles in Geneva who translated and printed this first edition followed the distinctive features of contemporary French Genevan Bibles—convenient size, roman type, numbered verse divisions, and the inclusion of historical tables, explanatory pictures, plans, and maps ... These visual aids reflect Genevan concern that even the 'simple reader' should understand obscure passages of scripture" (Luborsky & Ingram). Another innovation in the Bible was the introduction of many famous phrases that were retained in the Authorized Version, such as "smite them hip and thigh," and "vanity of vanities." Although never formally adopted in England, the Geneva Bible remained the most popular of all versions for three generations, with one hundred and forty editions printed between 1560 and 1644. The Bible is printed in easily readable Roman type, with the text in double columns and divided into verses. Essentially complete, the Bible lacks only four text leaves. While its General Title has been lost to time, it retains two dated preliminary leaves (April 10th, 1560). The New Testament title leaf features a woodcut vignette and there are multiple woodcut text illustrations within the text. A rare double-page map (often lacking) is present in this copy. A partial example of the "First and Second Tables" (an early biblical study aid) is likewise included. As the property of a family associated with the signing of the National Covenant, the Bible is a relic of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and bears the marks of use in troubled conditions amid religious persecution. The binding is a remarkable - featured an early Scottish sheepskin binding, bound in Edinburgh after its import. The skin used for the binding was sewn together, thus there is a line of stitches that spans both boards and crosses the spine. Highly unusual. Provenance: As the property of the famous Scottish Playfair family, there are extensive manuscript notes with dates ranging from seventeenth to eighteenth centuries. _____________________________________ Items listed on eBay are merely representative of our broader inventory. We specialize in early printed Bibles in English, with a particular focus on first editions and other significant printings. Our stock includes a wide range of Tyndale New Testaments, as well as first editions of the Coverdale Bible (1535), the Matthews Bible (1537), the Great Bible (1539), the Geneva Bible (1560), the Bishops Bible (1568) and the King James Bible (1611). Please do not hesitate to enquire regarding other early printed books and manuscripts.
Price: 59500 USD
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
End Time: 2024-07-21T23:46:49.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
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Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Binding: Leather
Place of Publication: Geneva
Language: English
Special Attributes: 1st Edition
Signed: Yes
Personalized: Yes
Publisher: Rouland Hall
Country/Region of Manufacture: Switzerland
Topic: Christianity, Bibles
Subject: Religion & Spirituality
Original/Facsimile: Original
Year Printed: 1560