The Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments: Translated out of the Original Tongues: and with the Former Translations Diligently Compared and Revised, By His Majesty's Special Command. Appointed to be Read in Churches. Oxford: Printed by T. Wright and W. Gill, Printers to the University: and Sold by R. Baldwin, and S. Crowder, and by W. Jackson, 1769.
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A lovely copy of the very rare first edition of the Blayney Bible, that is, the edition of the King James Bible upon which all modern KJV versions are based and essentially reprint. This edition was produced to correct the various misprints, errors, etc, in the early editions.
Herbert's bibliography says the following about this edition: "A quarto edition of Dr. Blayney's 'standard' Bible, issued in folio in the same year. According to the editor's report the quarto was finished first, the folio being afterwards printed from the same type, different disposed.... A MS. note by Josiah Pratt states that 'a great part of the folio edition of 1769 having been destroyed at Woodmason's fire, a copy of that edition is scarcely to be purchased at any price. A copy of this edition [i.e. the quarto edition] is also very rarely to be met with; sometimes it may be found with a New Testament of later date substituted for that of 1769'. " The copy we offer for sale here is the true first edition of the standardised KJV, preceding the folio print, with our copy including the original 1769 Old and New Testaments (as well as the Apocrypha, as issued). An ideal copy.
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Size: 235 x 284 mm (approx.)
Condition:
[(3), t.p., 1ff., b1-b4, A1-5K4 (OT), A1-2A4 (Apocrypha), t.p., 5L1-6Y4, 6Z1-6Z3, (NT & Index), (3)].
Half brown leather over marbled paper backed boards with two black tooled labels lined in gilt to two compartments on the spine between raised bands. Fully rebound with newer endpapers, lacking originals. Binding lightly rubbed and scuffed. Both boards securely attached. Very minor shelf and edge wear. All page edges gilt, dulled with some scratches and marks. Pencil inscription to the head of the t.p. Text block fairly clean with light toning and occasional foxing and dampstaining. Very small closed edge tear to 5G1, else a very nice copy of this scarce and important edition.
[Herbert 1196].
