1569 Quarto Great Bible – Very Scarce

[The Bible in English, that is to say: the content of all the holy Scriptures, both of the olde and newe Testament. According to the translation that is appointed to be read in the Churches.]

Description

Begins with the second preliminary leaf of the Collects. Text in two column black letter. Title to the second part (Josh – Job) with ornamental border. Title to the third and fourth parts with architectural frame featuring Cawood’s monogram. Title to the New Testament with woodcut border of the Last Supper (above) and the Crucifixion (below). Text ends at Revelation 14.

Collation

B^6, A-O^8, Bb-Zz^8, Aaa-Vvv^8, Xxx^4, Yyy-Zzz^8, Xxx^4, Yyy-Zzz^8, Aaaa-Kkkk^8, Llll^10, A-Q^8. Lacks [par]^8, A^8 (16 ff.) of the prelims at the beginning and R^4, S^2 (6 ff.) at the end. The general title is lacking but no copy with one has ever been traced.

Binding

Early (perhaps contemporary) brown reverse calf, rebacked. Boards with period appropriate double blind-paneled covers and corner fleurons. Later spine with four blind-tooled raised bands and the words “The Bible” in black.  

Condition

Some thumbsoiling and staining, but mostly to margins. B6 (of prelims) with tailpiece removed; B7 (of Bible text), Ooo8 with small marginal loss; quires H, Ee-Gg frayed to edges without text loss; E1 (Ruth 1) soiled and frayed to edges with loss of a few letters; Hh2,3 misbound; all leaves in Psalms cropped, infrequently reducing sidenotes (perhaps supplied from another copy, but not likely); M5 (of New Testament) closed tear into text without loss; final few leaves frayed and soiled with tissue repair to final leaf. Note in contemporary hand to foot of Romans 1.     

Note

A scarce copy of a quarto Great Bible. USTC records only five copies in holdings and we trace only three copies at auction in the last 120 years. One copy at auction included Fry’s note that no perfect copies can be traced.

References

Herbert 129; STC 2104; ESTC S90480; USTC 506867.