1572 Second Folio Bishops’ Bible with Woodcuts

The Holie Bible, Containing the Old Testament and the New. Authorized and appointed to be read in Churches…

Summary

The second folio edition of the Bishops’ Bible, with periodic woodcuts throughout the text and the Book of Psalms with the Prayer Book and Great Bible texts in parallel columns.  

Description

Four preliminary leaves are included, being the  Prologue or Preface made by Thomas Cranmer (2 ff.), A Table to make plaine the difficult (1 ff.), then beginning at Ciii with Proper Psalms and An Almanac (1572-1610), *iii with To Fine Easter Forever (1 p.) and A Table for the Order of the Psalms (1 p.), followed by a portions of the Calendar Ciiii-Cvii (January-August), printed in red and black. Begins with Genesis 3:5. Contains the full-page woodcut of the Tabernacle at Exodus 27, but lacks the double page map in Joshua (O8-P1). The Book of Psalms is presented in parallel columns with the Great Bible version (black letter) and the Bishops’ version (Roman). The engravings before the chapters are removed, but there are a number of large woodcuts throughout in both the Old Testament (Exodus, Leviticus, 1 Kings, Jeremiah) and New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Romans, James). First chapter initials and decorated head and tailpieces throughout.

Collation

A-Z^8, Aa-Kk^8, Ll^6, Aaa-ZZZ^8, &&&^6 ,Aaaa-Mmmm^8, Nnnn^10, A-R^8, S^4. Lacks all title pages. Also lacks A1,2 (Gen 1:1-3:4), A7 (Gen 11:31-14:11), Q2 (Joshua 14:7-17:9), Kkk3 (Song of Solomon 8-Isaiah 1:12), P1 (2 Tim 1:18-4), all after Q8 (Jude) with four leaves (Rev 8-18:12) inserted from a later copy.

Binding

Bound in contemporary blind-stamped calf, rebacked and recornered. Covers with a double blind rolled rectangular border and florets at corners. Spine with five raised bands, and some blind ruling and rolls to compartments, with a red label and the words “Holy Bible” in gilt. Plain endpapers.

Condition

Preliminary leaves frayed at edges. A3-6 small worm hole to inner margin; A3-B3 with loss to a few letter of some notes on verso; Q3 small hole to inner column with loss to part of word; S2 tear to outer column with small piece torn away with loss to several letters; S3 with repair to outer margin and a small piece torn away with loss to word on three lines of text; Y5 tear through the bottom third of page with an old repair to bottom margin and loss of a letter over 12 lines of text; Ddd1 (Psalm 25) neat old repair through the bottom two lines of text; Iii8 closed tear from bottom edge to third of inner column repaired without loss; Mmm1-3 burn mark over three lines of text of outer column; A3 (Matt 4) old repair to bottom torn edge lacking several words on the final line of the outer column; I7-8; a handful of closed marginal tears; outer margins shaved in the Pentateuch, just touching the notes; generally a good text, though with very occasional staining and some infrequent marginal writing in an old hand.

Note

The second folio edition of the Bishops’ Bible, with the text seeing more revision since the first quarto of 1569, with the New Testament updated by Giles Lawrence. The dual Psalter is unique to this edition. While the title pages are lacking from this copy, several large woodcuts remain. Whereas the woodcuts in the first edition were placed at the relevant text, here they occur only at the beginning of books, and function as visual summaries.

References

Herbert 132; STC 2107; ESTC S121300; Luborsky & Ingram 2107.