Sanctus Hieronymus interpres biblie: Biblia cum concordantijs veteris et noui testamenti et sacrorum canonum, necnon et additionibus in marginibus varietatis diuersorum textum ac etiam canonibus antiquis quatuor evangeliorum novissime autem addite sunt concordantie. Lyon, Jacques Sacon for Anton Koberger [Nuremberg], 1516 (colophon), large quarto / small folio.
A MAGNIFICENT FINELY ILLUSTRATED POST INCUNABLE BIBLE PRINTED FOR ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS PRINTERS, ANTON KOBERGER.
-------------------
Printed by Jacques Sacon for Anton Koberger, the important printer of the Nuremberg Chronicle, printed in a very handsome gothic type. Koberger utilised the presses of Lyons for a series of illustrated Latin Bibles between 1506 and 1522, with this being perhaps the most magnificent of those. This edition is the first printed Bible to include references to Josephus, the 1st century Roman historian, as mentioned by Darlowe & Moule. These important references were arranged by Johannes de Gradibus, and is some of the earliest printed evidence of the historical treatment of Scripture. This Bible has approximately 140 smaller woodcut engravings throughout depicting various scenes including Noah's Ark, etc. There are also some large woodcuts as pictured, this copy includes the famous frontispiece as well as the beautiful large illustration of Mary with the Christ child in fo.1 of Matthew, etc. There are thousands of beautiful engraved capitals throughout, with the text printed in red and black, many leaves having additional picture-frame surrounds. We also find some fantastic contemporary marginalia, probably Humanist, with a few manicules. A really incredible finely printed and illustrated early Latin Vulgate Bible with interesting contemporary annotations in places.
The printing of this Bible was a significant development in early printing, and played a crucial role in the development of the first German Lutheran Bible as the evidence suggests that this is the same edition which Luther used for his edition. This was printed in an incredibly important period, contemporaneous with (and a bit earlier than) William Tyndale as well as Erasmus and his New Testament printing in 1516, the third edition of which formed the basis for the later Geneva and King James Versions of the English Bible. This was printed before the first printed complete English Bible by 19 years, and precedes even Tyndale! We are here within a generation of printers from Gutenberg himself, and so this is one of the earliest obtainable printed Bibles and certainly one of the most magnificent of all early printed Bibles with the fabulous typography and illustrations. There is also some printed rubrication in red, very occasionally by hand, and in places the text is lightly underlined in red by hand, probably contemporaneously.
VERY RARE, USTC records only 11 copies worldwide with NO COPIES HELD IN THE UNITED STATES and only two copies held in the UK, the British Library does not have a copy of this very rare early Bible.
-------------------
Provenance:
Contemporary annotations, probably Humanist, in two distinct hands (perhaps three), certainly dating from circa the time of printing through to around the mid 16th century, most likely all in Germany. One of these has a date written as 1512 and placed in Leiden. Written in a very attractive early form of Latin handwriting more typical of the 12th-13th centuries which was less common by the early 16th as with this, probably from the circle of those important Humanist theologians (Reuchlin, Luther, Erasmus, Melanchthon, etc) around the time of the Protestant reformation.
Bookplate of Richard Ball dated 1831 with the subsequent bookplate of Edward Ash Ball to the front pastedown, perhaps the English MP who died in 1863 (?).
Mr G.D. Colson, c.1982, with a loose letter from The University of Canterbury dated 16th December 1982 discussing advice for restoration of damaged leaves at the beginning of this copy (which was clearly done around this time) which the letter suggests a cost of "at least £400" which was quite a large sum in 1982 for restoration (roughly £1,400 today).
-------------------
Size: 190 x 260 mm (approx.)
Condition:
[20pp, fo.ii-cccl (verso blank), fo.i-lxxxv, blank]
Late 17th / early 18th century full calf binding, rebacked with modern tooled red morocco labels laid to the largely preserved older (than the rebacking) backstrip. Boards ruled at edges as often, else without decoration. Binding a little rubbed with some shelf wear and losses at corners, else excellent; secure and without shelf lean. Number '4' written in contemporary ink at head of page fore-edge thus indicating this was probably held in a 16th century monastery/cathedral (or similar) library, perhaps chained. Page edges with near contemporary red colouring, not affecting text block. Two 19th century bookplates to front pastedown, hinges reinforced with Kozo paper preserving the earlier pastedowns. Leaf edge repairs from the first leaf of the preliminaries through to fo.xxiiii (24), subsequently without restoration to the text block afterwards. Preliminary gatherings incomplete with 10ff (only (of 14?), including the frontis in this count), also lacking the main title page. The frontispiece bound at the end of the Tabula, prior to the Epistola sancti hieronymi ad Paulinum rather than its usual position to the verso of Genesis 1 (fo.1). This copy lacks fo.1 thus begins from fo.2, else textually collates as complete throughout both Old and New Testaments, but with loss to the bottom third of fo.cccl of the O.T (preliminaries for the N.T.). Contemporary handwritten annotations throughout (never obscuring any text) with frequent manicules, verso blank of fo.ccl with the (probably erroneous, but reasonably close) date of 1512 and the Latin name of Leiden, Germany. Mildly toned throughout as commensurate with age but generally clean and fully legible, never with loss of sense of text with the exception of fo.xliiii in the N.T. where there is a small hole (approx. 15x30 mm) in the centre, catching a few letters of text on both sides, this is in 1st Corinthians. Some dampstaining in the lower margins, just touching the text on a few leaves, to the final few leaves in Epistola Johannis, Jude, and Apocalypsis (fo.lxxvii-lxxxv, only). Generally free of wormholing. No foxing or mould. A few leaves slightly trimmed for the binding occasionally catching marginalia, and catching the title of one preliminary leaf. A fantastic surviving early Bible, certainly the finest post-incunable Bible we have ever encountered, and certainly the greatest illustrated Bible we have had to date.
[OCLC 311712768; USTC 144530; Adams B993; Baudrier, xii, 339-40; von Gultlingen i, Sacon no 149.].
