Macklin Bible:
Most Impressive Bible Ever Printed
The largest and most impressive Bible printed: a six volume set that weighs well over 100 pounds! Each volume is illustrated with multiple copper plate engravings after paintings by some of the foremost artists of the day (Reynolds, Gainsborough, Fuseli, and more). Thomas Macklin (1752-1800) was a British 18th-century print seller and picture dealer. Macklin is most famous for his poet’s gallery, which he began on January 1, 1787. He planned to commission 100 paintings illustrating famous English poems, which he would publish monthly as engravings between 1790 and 1795.
Macklin Bible - An Impressive Undertaking
Just two years after beginning the poet’s gallery, Macklin set out to publish an illustrated Folio Bible in multiple volumes to promote “the glory of the English school” of painting and engraving and “the interest of our holy religion.” New type and new paper were created specifically for this ambitious project. He enlisted the best artists and engravers of the day. Many of the same artists who were participating in the poet’s gallery worked on the Bible project. Macklin sought official permission to print his Bible from Oxford University. His request was denied. In order to continue, he renamed his publication a “commentary” and supplied a minimum number of footnotes in the lower borders.
A complete seven volume set of the Macklin Bible. This text is a very large two-column font with 29 lines to the column. The set weighs in at over 100 pounds.
Macklin Bible - An Unrivaled Edition
To publish the Macklin Bible cost an estimated £30,000 in its day. Among the 700 subscribers to the enormous production was the royal family. Macklin died on October 25, 1800, just five days after the last large engraving was finished for his Bible. Owners of Macklin Bibles would disassemble their copies and insert their own illustrations and prints. The Macklin would then be rebound, sometimes resulting in a great number of volumes. The most famous of these belonged to Robert Bowyer (1758-1834). He spent a fortune on his Macklin Bible which he expanded to 45 volumes after acquiring and inserting over 6200 different prints of Biblical events. He had a custom designed bookcase built just to house his collection! According to the dictionary of national biography, “The Macklin Bible endures as the most ambitious edition produced in Britain, often pirated but never rivaled.”
The Bowyer bookcase that houses the 45 volume Macklin Bible
The Macklin Bible is embellished by a total of 71 engraved plates and 104 large engraved head- and tailpieces by famous artists.