1611-12 Geneva Bible Red-Ruled Folio

[The Bible, that is, the Holy Scriptures contained in the Old and New Testament. Translated according to the Ebrew and Greeke, and conferred with The Best Translations in Divers Languages. With most profitable Annotations upon all hard places, and other things of great importance.]

Summary

A red-ruled folio Geneva Bible. Printed in easy-to-read Roman font with the complete set of Geneva illustrations and maps. Professionally rebound and restored. A great supplement to the King James version that was first printed in the same year.

Description

Text in two column Roman font. Bound with an incomplete Book of Common Prayer and the Genealogies. The Genealogies by J[ohn] S[peed] with title page (n.d.) featuring a head- and tailpiece. Apocrypha included as issued. New Testament title page (1611) with head- and tailpiece. Ends on the dated colophon (1612). Complete set of Geneva illustrations. Illustrated first chapter initials and decorated head and tailpieces throughout. Ends with an incomplete Whole Booke of Psalms (1612).

Collation

A-Z^6, Aa-Zz^6,. Aaa-Lll^6, Mmm-Ooo^8, Ppp-Zzz^6, Aaaa-Zzzz^6, Aaaaa-Ddddd^6, Eeeee^4. Bible text complete. Lacks general title page.

Binding

Professionally rebound in black blind-paneled calf. Spine with five raised bands and elaborate gilt-tooling to compartments with a red morocco label and the words “Holy Bible” lettered in gilt. Plain endpapers.

Provenance

Nineteenth century inscription on front blank leaf reads “James Lacen nigh Eelycomb May 1823”.

Condition

Book of Common Prayer begins with Catechism and with repairs to a few leaves; Genealogies with 14 out of 34 pp. and first leaf with loss; Psalter lacks all after Psalm 119; first few ff. of Genesis stained with lower corner repair without loss; N2 closed tear into text without loss; Iii-Lll lower corner marginal stain; Mmm5-Nnn1 closed sown tear to text; Nnn1 lower corner repair; Nnn5 (Micah 1-4) piece torn off to outer corner with 12 lines of text loss; Ooo7-Ppp2 stain to upper fourth of text; Zzzz-Fffff single worm track to upper margin; final leaf of Psalter frayed; three leaves with marginal loss and five with marginal corner repairs; some staining here and there but a clean copy overall.     

References

Herbert 312. STC 2218.