The Holy Bible, Containing the Old and the New Testament, and Apocrypha, with Critical, Philological, and Explanatory Notes. By the Rev. John Hewlett. Illustrated with One Hundred and Twenty Engravings. In Three Volumes. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, et al., 1811, large 4to, a.e.g.
A STUNNING ANTIQUE KING JAMES BIBLE PRINTED IN 1811, FINELY BOUND, AND BEAUTIFULY ILLUSTRATED THROUGHOUT - ONE OF THE FINEST PRINTINGS OF THE KING JAMES BIBLE IN THE 19TH CENTURY.
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A truly beautiful printing of the King James Bible, abundantly illustrated throughout after famous artists such as Raphael, etc. The illustrations become particularly abundant through the New Testament, especially the Gospels and Acts, as one might expect. This set also includes some maps of the Holy Land as pictured.
The bindings are also particularly excellent, finely bound with beautiful blindstamped panelling to the boards and fine gilt tooling to the spines with all edges gilt which would have been very expensive when originally produced, especially given the large size of the volumes.
The text itself is exceptionally complete, including the complete protestant Apocrypha (following the 1769 KJV), where many Bibles printed around this time were released without the Apocryphal books. There are also other curiosities such as a long section on The History of the Jews, Jewish Coins, The Calendar of the Jews, as well as an interesting section written by the translators from the original languages.
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Provenance:
Bound by T.B. Watkins in Hereford, England, roughly contemporaneously to publication, with their sticker to the head of the front pastedowns.
Tipped in 'Search the Scriptures' guide to the second volume which has an imprint in Carlisle, England, and so this set was likely owned by someone in that area subsequent to the original owners.
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Size: 245 x 308 mm (approx., each)
Condition:
[(3), t.p., xvi, 1ff, 39pp, 29pp, 50pp, 1ff, A1-6F2, (3)]; [(3), t.p., A1-5G3, B1-2E1, (3)]; [(3), t.p., vi, 143pp, t.p. (aka A1), A2-4U3, 1ff, t.p., 4X1-5I4]
Contemporary full red grained calf, spines finely tooled in gilt, a little dulled, but remaining very attractive on the shelf. Bindings a little rubbed to extremities and along the joints as typical but with all boards securely attached, the bindings secure, and without shelf lean. All edges gilt, all very good or better, top edges uniformly dulled as typical. The full protestant KJV Bible is contained within the three volumes, with volume 1 containing Genesis to Esther, volume 2 Job to 2nd Maccabees, and volume 3 Matthew to Revelation, as well as volumes one and three containing several other sections, many very interesting.
Without any attached bookplates, but with the small bookbinder sticker to the head of each front pastedown. Ownership inscriptions (family birth records) dated between 1872 and 1913 to ffep verso in volume one of the Stephenson family, else there is no writing throughout the volumes. The text blocks are mildly toned throughout as typical, with some foxing throughout all volumes. Minor dampstaining in volumes two and three, with more significant dampstaining and foxing at the end of the first volume but with the majority of the text block as with the others. The full text is legible without loss of sense throughout. A few small closed tears to some leaves, only once affecting the text, and only extending in the blank marginal space, the largest (and the one affecting the text) being 5R1 in volume one which is approx 53mm long and does not result in any textual loss, but does split a few letters in the word 'and' - this is in the commentary at the bottom and not the actual Bible text, which is in 2 Chronicles.
Every section through all three volumes collates as complete. All pages are present with none missing. The Apocrypha begins at B1 in the collation but this is apparently as called for and there shouldn't be an A gathering and so does remain collated as complete. The pagination continues through the New Testament and substantial index in the third volume, with the NT ending on 4U3 with the three indexes finishing at 5I4. The plates have not been collated but given their abundance it's likely that this copy is extra-illustrated as they are so numerous.
A beautiful edition.
