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[The Bible, That is, the Holy Scriptures Conteined in the Old and New Testament. Translated according to the Ebrew and Greeke, and conferred with the best translation in divers Languages. With most profitable Annotations…]
Summary
The famous 1599 quarto Geneva Bible. Complete Bible text in Roman font with the full set of Geneva illustrations and maps. Beautifully rebound in an attractive brown morocco binding.
Description
The composite general title page (1599) in 20th century facsimile. Text in two column Roman font containing Tomson’s New Testament and Junius’ Revelation. Complete set of Geneva illustrations and maps. Title to the Second Part (n.d.) with decorated headpiece. Issued without Apocrypha. New Testament title page (1599) with woodcut border comprising twenty-four small compartments showing the tents of the twelve tribes as well as the figures of the twelve apostles. Title is enclosed within a heart-shaped frame. Concludes with a dated colophon (1599) at the end of the two Tables. Woodcut first chapter initials and decorated head- and tailpieces throughout. This copy was likely printed in the 1630s in Amsterdam.
Collation
[par]^2 (-[par]1, general title), A^8, A-Z^8, &^6 (first part: Gen-Job), Aa-Qq^8 (second part: Psalms- Malachi), Aaa-Qqq^8, Rrr^4 (New Testament). Bible text complete with general title in facsimile.
Binding
Twentieth century paneled brown morocco. Spine with five blind-lined raised bands, the words “Holy Bible” and “1599” lettered in gilt. Inner blind dentelles, endpapers renewed.
Condition
Text is overall quite clean with infrequent mostly marginal spotting and soiling; A1 (first page of Genesis) repair to gutter without text loss; A2 small marginal repair; trimmed to head with infrequently touching or reducing headline; Bb1, Bb3 (Psalm 41, 52) lower corner loss, mostly to sidenotes; Eee8 fore-edge strengthened with cellulose tape; Iii4 closed tear across page repaired with cellulose tape; final leaf of Tables creased.
Provenance
Short note about the history of the Geneva version pasted to front pastedown; small circular words of the Lord’s Prayer signed by “GW” at center. O-Q with some marginal annotations in a later hand; some notes to verso of New Testament title page.
Note
Most Geneva Bibles dated 1599 were printed in Amsterdam following King James's 1616 ban on printing the Geneva Bible in England, intended to promote his sponsored translation. Despite the ban, the Geneva Bible remained popular and was printed abroad, then imported into England. In the 1630s, Archbishop Laud prohibited its importation, prompting printers to add falsely dated title pages to circumvent restrictions. The Geneva Bible's popularity endured for over three generations, as evidenced by the vast number of pirated copies available today, highlighting that the King James Bible did not immediately become the dominant text.
References
Herbert 253; STC 2179; Lea Wilson’s No. 2.