Biblia Sacra: Integrum Utriusq Testamenti Corpus Coplectens... Parisiis [Paris]: Yolande Bonhomme, vidua Thielmanni Kerver, [colophon reads] MDXXXIIII. Octavo iudus Januarij [1534].
A BEAUTIFUL AND VERY RARE EARLY VULGATE BIBLE FROM THE POST INCUNABLE PERIOD, PRINTED BY THE FIRST FEMALE PRINTER OF THE BIBLE IN ANY LANGUAGE.
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This beautiful and very rare early Vulgate Bible is printed in two 58 line columns in black letter, with chapter headings with nice capitals and with the two famous engraved plates, one to the verso of A1 in the Old Testament - a woodcut depicting the Creation of Man, and another to the verso of ff.417 (the beginning of Matthew), this woodcut being commonly referred to as 'The Stem of Jesse'. Both are incredibly detailed and finely produced, and this octavo Bible is also very finely produced, housed in a particularly nice binding from circa the early 1600s with a finely rebacked spine, also retaining some early iron clasps and some remnants of the original leather which would have held this Bible closed.
Thielmanni Kerver was a major printer and seller of predominantly religious books, active in Paris between 1497 and 1522. After his death, the printing business was taken over by his widow, Yolande Bonhomme, who was the printer of this Bible and also worked in Paris. She was also the first female printer of the Bible in any language [H.W. Davies, pp.448-450]. Yolande printed two octavo Bibles prior to this in 1526 and 1530, making this edition the third Bible printed by a woman. Darlow and Moule state that she "produced many beautiful books of devotion" [Darlow & Moule, 6090; 6113], and it certainly goes without saying that this is one of them.
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Size: 108 x 160 mm (approx.)
[H. W. Davies, 'Device of the early printers' (London 1935), No.130, pp.448-450; Darlow and Moule 6090; 6113]
Condition:
[i-ix; i-cccccxx; 3a-3e4]
Lacks first two leaves including main title page as common. The main text is collated as complete in 520ff, including the two woodcut plates, with 31 of an apparent 40 leaves bound at the rear comprising the Interpretationes. Some expert repairs to the corners of the final four leaves, the final two with slight loss to some text (3E3-3E4). Two contemporary blanks at each end of the book, presumably with the rebacking. Some writing in a very early hand to the front inside board dating the book to 1534, this writing being written in English and so it is likely that this book was imported to England fairly early in its life. Spine shows very well on the shelf, expertly rebacked using some older leather. Tooled red morocco label between raised bands reads "Bibla Sacra". Joints fine with both boards securely attached. Some scratches to boards with some pinholes to front board. Iron clasp mounts at board edges all retained. These are probably from the early 1600s, potentially a bit earlier. Top page edge dulled as typical. Very clean through the text block without any foxing etc, just mildly toned as commensurate with the age. Verso pages of the two woodcut engravings more heavily toned.
A truly excellent example of this very rare early Vulgate Bible, being almost 500 years old!
