1549 Folio Great Bible with Four Title Pages

[The Byble in Englishe, that is, the olde and new Testament, after the translacion appoynted to bee read in Churches.]

Description

Text in two column black letter with 57 lines to the full column. A large twelve-line initial at the beginning of Genesis. One woodcut in the text of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22.  Title to the second part, third part, and New Testament with woodcut border featuring various woodblocks. The title to the Apocrypha is printed. The latter portion of part 2, and all of parts 3 and 5 were probably printed by Whitchurch. The rest of the book appears to be printed in a different, though somewhat similar type with flourished initials before the chapters.

Collation

**^6 (-**2-5), ***6(-***1-5), a-l^8 (-a2-6), m^10, A-R^8, S^6, Aa-Ss^8, Tt^4, Aaa-Mmm^8, [unsigned]^2, A-N^8, O^12(-O1-10). Lacks 9 preliminary ff, 5 ff. in the OT (Gen 3-15), 10 ff in the New Testament (1 Pet 3 – Rev 17).

Binding

Later red straight-grained morocco. Boards paneled in triple-gilt lines. Spine with four triple-raised bands and a red morocco label with the words “Holy Bible Cranmer’s Version” in gilt. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers.

Condition

Ex-libris stamp of John T. Godfrey to front pastedown. Mostly crisp and clean, with lower right corner sporadically strengthened through third part of the Old Testament with infrequent loss of a letter or two; b5 section with second woodcut torn away and replaced in facsimile; S6 (final leaf of Job) laid down; Tt4 laid down with repair to lower edge costing two letters; N trimmed, perhaps supplied from another copy.

Scarcity

RBH records six copies at auction in the last 30 years with 31 copies in holdings.

References

Herbert 76; STC 2079; ESTC S107004.