Biblia cum summariorum apparatu pleno quadruplicique repertorio insignita cui ultra castigationem diligentissimam et signanter in vocabulario dictionum Hebraicarum [...]. Lyon: Jacques Mareschal (and Simon Vincent), 1514, 8vo.
A RARE AND LUXURIOUS LATIN OCTAVO BIBLE PRINTED JUST PRIOR TO THE REFORMATION, WITH NO KNOWN COPIES HELD INSTITUTIONALLY IN ALL OF NORTH AMERICA (USTC)!
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Jacques Mareschal issued several folio and octavo Bibles between 1510 and 1532. This 1514 edition was his second octavo Bible, following his 1510 issue, and stands firmly in the tradition of Froben’s celebrated small-format Basel editions of 1491 and 1495, particularly the 1509 Froben Bible, to which this edition bears notable textual and typographical affinities (see Darlow & Moule).
It represents a luxurious and finely produced edition, distinguished by hundreds of historiated capitals printed throughout, together with several charming small in-text illustrations, including especially fine small illustrations at Genesis I and the opening of Revelation.
According to USTC, only 32 institutional copies are recorded worldwide, none in North America, with just three in the United Kingdom and only one outside Europe.
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This Bible marks an important stage in the evolution of the portable octavo Bible, a format first popularised by Froben in 1491, directly inspired by the size and convenience of late medieval Books of Hours. Its compactness made it particularly suitable for personal devotion and private study, reflecting the emerging humanist and pre-Reformation emphasis on individual engagement with Scripture championed by figures such as Melanchthon, Reuchlin, Erasmus, and others within the intellectual circle later associated with Luther.
Surviving examples of early octavo Bibles are far rarer than their folio counterparts, their smaller format having invited more frequent use. The present copy, therefore, is an exceptionally well preserved survivor, unusually clean and with the text of the Bible complete, and one of the last Latin Bibles printed before the onset of the Protestant Reformation, issued just three years before 1517.
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Size: 129 x 171 mm (approx.)
Condition:
[(4), [27], 500, [54], (3)]
[(4), aa-bb8 (-a1, 8), cc4, dd9, a-z8, A-Z8, AA-QQ8, RR4, A-D8, E6, F-G8, (3)]
Circa 17th century full vellum binding, titled in manuscript “Biblia. S.” at the head of the spine. A small split to the upper joint of the front board has been sensitively repaired, leaving both boards securely attached; the binding is firm and stands upright without shelf lean. The vellum shows only light and attractive age toning, presenting very well on the shelf. Minor restoration to the foot of the spine with a recent, neatly executed tailcap. Later (20th century) front pastedown, but the rear pastedown retains the binding's original 17th century leaf. One modern blank precedes the text, with the remaining six blanks being contemporary with the binding.
The text of the Bible collates complete, lacking only three preliminary leaves; otherwise, the volume is textually complete, including the extensive supplementary material at the end and the printer’s device leaf (often missing but here present). Dampstaining from gathering c through q (i.e. not extensive), never obscuring legibility, with only a few minor instances elsewhere. The text block is notably clean and exceptionally well preserved throughout, with only gentle toning consistent with age.
An old German bookseller’s ticket is tipped to the front free endpaper, together with an 18th century ownership inscription of Johannis Engelbrecsh (?). The verso of the printer’s device leaf bears several early manuscript numbers/calculations, likely contemporary with publication; a few additional pencil and ink inscriptions appear on the rear pastedown. Text otherwise generally free from annotation.
A handsome and well preserved example of an early octavo Bible, printed on the eve of the Reformation. An appealing copy in an early vellum binding.
[USTC 144246; Copinger 158; Adams B990].
