1644 Folio Geneva Bible – The Last Edition of the Geneva Bible

The Bible, That is, the Holy Scriptures contained in the Old and New Testament. Translated according to the Hebrew and Greek, and conferred with the best translations in divers languages. With most profitable Annotations…

Summary

The last Geneva Bible to be printed in the 17th century. A large folio with full-page engravings and rebacked with contemporary boards.

Description

General title page (1644) within double ruled border featuring a woodcut illustration of the parting of the Red Sea. Text in two column Roman font. Two full-page engravings of the furniture of the Tabernacle and the vestments of the High Priest. Five woodcut maps in the text. Issued without Apocrypha which is also omitted from the List of Books. New Testament title page (1644) within double ruled border featuring a female head between two cornucopia. The woodcuts in this edition follow those inserted in the 1610 Edinburgh printing. First chapter woodcuts initials, head- and tailpieces throughout.

Collation

[par]^4, A-Z^6, Aa-Qq^6, A-Z^4, Aa-Pp^4, Qq^6, [par]^2, A-Z^4, Aa-Mm^4. Complete without Apocrypha.

Binding

Contemporary brown calf, rebacked and recornered in matching leather. Covers with ruled borders and corner fleurons. Spine with five blind-lined raised bands and a red gilt-tooled label with the words “Geneva Bible 1644” in gilt. No endpapers.

Condition

Top boards slightly sprung. B3, B4 detached; first full engraved illustration torn without loss; O3 (Isaiah), Aa3 (Jeremiah), and G1 (Mark) with piece torn away with loss of a few letters; L1 (Daniel) with a hole at margin with loss of a few letters; some marginal wormtracks to New Testament; final leaves of Tables frayed to edges with last leaf laid down as pastedown; occasional light spotting, staining and browning, and a few darker spots. A nice copy of a scarce Dutch printed folio Geneva.

Provenance

Seventeenth century marginal Dutch annotations throughout, mostly translating unusual words; 18th century list of births related to the Jeneson family on front pastdown; contemporary account of shipwreck reads “November 18th, 1795. Was lost on Portland Beach [i.e. Chesil Beach] a Number of Ships, the loss of men was 500. 1795. Wheat sold at 24 Pound. Pr. Load, Flower 18. S. Pr. Bushel.”

Note

Aside from a 1778 London reprint of the Geneva Bible, this is the last Geneva Bible printed with over 200 editions from 1560-1644.

References

Herbert 579; USTC 3058221; ESTC R35310.