This is the largest Geneva Bible ever printed, and the only oversized huge pulpit folio Geneva Bible ever printed, standing a whopping 17 inches tall by 12 inches wide by 5 inches thick.  The grandest and most beautifully typeset Geneva Bible ever printed, this Magnum Opus of Geneva Bibles is known affectionately to collectors as “The Noblest Geneva Bible” since 1938 when the famous Bibliophile Edwin Rumball-Petre referred to it as such in his legendary listing of “must have” antique Bibles.  This is truly one of the most desirable of all rare and antique Bibles that any collector could ever hope to obtain.

A stunning masterpiece of printing history; the 1583 Noblest Geneva Bible is as rare as it is beautiful.  In our nearly 30 years as the world’s largest rare Bible dealer, we have only seen three (3) other examples of this 1583 printing come onto the world market, and it is likely that fewer than two dozen complete copies are extant anywhere today, with nearly all being locked away in collections never to be offered for sale.  The Geneva Bible was the first English Bible with numbered verses, the first Bible with commentary notes in the margins, the first Bible taken to America, the Bible quoted over 500 times in Shakespeare’s plays, the only Bible to ever out-sell and exceed the popularity of the King James Version, and the first Bible offered in Roman typeface … though this 1583 edition retained the beautiful fancy gothic blackletter typeface for its text, with Roman type used for the headlines.

Curiously, while collectors of early King James Bibles consider the 1611 First Edition to be the most desirable edition; it is not the 1560 First Edition of the Geneva Bible which is typically the most sought after by collectors of Geneva Bibles. This is because the 1560 edition is just a regular quarto-sized printing which is not particularly attractive, and with fewer than 10 of the 1560 First Editions extant today, they are essentially unobtainable (not for sale anywhere) and would likely fetch far into six figures if one did come onto the market.  In contrast, the 1583 Noblest Geneva Pulpit Folio Bible stands alone in size, beauty, and overall desirability, making it the edition most highly prized of all Geneva Bibles.

This is a magnificent example, with all pages present including both dated title pages (OT Title nicely remounted).  A few pages have minor edge repairs, and the paper is a bit soft with age just in the lower corner, but overall there is little staining, no cropping of headlines, and nothing missing.  The binding (professionally redone by Starr Bookworks) is an ornately blind-stamped black leather with hand-made marbled end papers.  This is a very pleasing example of the 1583 Noblest Geneva Pulpit Folio Bible.

Our insurance cost replacement value estimate on this Bible is $65,000, however its rarity actually makes it irreplaceable, and its estate liquidation discounted sale price of just $39,000 makes it a very attractively priced treasure for the astute collector seeking a world-class acquisition.

• Contact Us to order or inquire about this item. 
• We accept bank transfers as detailed here.

HUGE PRICE DROP JUST ANNOUNCED. 

ORIGINALLY $299,000 … NOW LIQUIDATION PRICED AT ONLY $195,000!

The First Edition of the Matthew-Tyndale Bible, 1537

[Bible in English.] [The Byble,/ which is all the holy Scrip-/ ture: In whych are contayned the/ Olde and Newe Testament truly and purely translated into Englysh by Thomas Matthew.][Printed for R. Grafton and R. Whitchurch of London: Antwerp?, 1537.][per Herbert]

The first edition, the first printing of the Bible called the “Matthew’s Bible” – that is, the William Tyndale Bible (as much as he had completed) seen through the press by John Rogers. “Thomas Matthew” is a pseudonym, not of John Rogers, but of William Tyndale (or perhaps a purely fictional misdirection, since Tyndale’s name, was still outlawed). (For his work on this Bible, John Rogers became the first martyr of the Marian persecutions, being executed in 1555.)

[Per Herbert:] Place of printing is unknown, but evidence points to Antwerp, perhaps the press of Matthew Crom. The Kinges most gracyous lyce[n]ce was obtained by Cromwell at Cranmer’s request despite the translation being predominantly Tyndale’s.

A scan of the professional third-party collation and descriptive write-up is available immediately via email upon request.

Overall, a nice copy, mostly clean and respectably tall.

Modern full calf to style by Starr Bookworks of Arizona.

Herbert asserts that this edition “is generally considered to be the real primary version of our English Bible” (p. 18).

Herbert 34. DM 17. STC 2066.

• Contact Us to order or inquire about this item.
• We accept credit cards and bank transfers as detailed here.

To the casual observer, that claim may seem impossible… even absurd… because this book was printed as late as 1731.  Considering that Wycliffe did his English translations of the Bible in the 1300’s, and Tyndale did his first printed English New Testaments in the 1520’s, how can this 1731 printing possibly be the first printed edition of the first English translation of the New Testament?  It is because Wycliffe’s original circa 1378 productions were all hand-written manuscript copies, as Gutenberg did not invent the printing press until 1455. Tyndale did his own translation and printing work in the 1520’s.  Indeed, it seems almost unimaginable that nobody bothered to print Wycliffe’s first manuscript English New Testaments as a printed book until the shocking late date of 1731… but it is true. Furthermore, nobody bothered to print Wycliffe’s complete Bible until 1850. This 1731 edition is extremely rare, with fewer than ten copies known to exist today, yet it is liquidation priced at less than half of its appraisal value. 

1731 Wycliffe New Testament
First printing in book form of Wycliffe’s translation of the New Testament.

The New Testament Of Our Lord And Saviour Jesus Christ Translated Out of the Latin Vulgat by John Wiclif, S T P Prebendary Of Aust In The Collegiate Church Of Westbury, And Rector Of Lutterworth, About 1378 To Which Is Prfixt A History Of The Several Translations Of The H Bible And N Testament, &C Into English, Both In Ms And Print, And Of The Most Remarkable Editions Of Them Since The Invention Of Printing

London: Sold by Thomas Page and William Mount …, 1731. First printing in book form of Wycliffe’s translation of the New Testament. Two fine engraved portraits, one folding plate. [2], iv, [4], 108, [2], [3]-156, viii pp. 1 vols. Folio. Old calf, rebacked and recornered in the 20th century to style in brown calf, raised bands, lettered in gilt. Three bookplates on front pastedown, modest tanning, some very tiny worm tracks in extreme edges of the portrait of Wycliffe, divisional title and first leaf of the text of the NT nearly detached at gutter and a bit creased, light occasional foxing, a few short tears at the fore-edge of the folding plate, otherwise a very good copy. First printing in book form of Wycliffe’s translation of the New Testament. Two fine engraved portraits, one folding plate. [2], iv, [4], 108, [2], [3]-156, viii pp. 1 vols. Folio. Accompanied by the extensive prefatory “History …” by John Lewis. At Wycliffe’s instigation, a group of scholars prepared this translation into Middle English of the New Testament from the Latin Vulgate in 1380, and though popular, it circulated only in manuscript until this edition. Over two hundred manuscript versions are known, many of them of the revised version prepared by John Purvey. In 1409 the Wycliffe version was condemned as heretical and outlawed in Britain. This edition was published by subscription, and the edition, including some copies on large paper, is reported to have consisted of only 160 copies.

• Contact Us to order or inquire about this item.
• We accept credit cards and bank transfers as detailed here.

The First Edition of the “Great” Bible 1539

[Bible in English.] The Byble in/ Englyshe, that is to saye the con-/ tent of all the holy scrypture, bothe/ of ye olde and newe testament, truly/ translated after the veryte of the/ Hebrue and Greke textes, by ye dy-/ lygent studye of dyuerse excellent/ learned men, expert in the forsayde/ tonges./ Prynted by Richard Grafton &/ Edward Whitchurch./ Cum priuilegio ad imprimen-/ dum solum./ 1539.

The first edition, first printing of the Miles Coverdale “Great” Bible, “the hole byble of the largest volume,” which Thomas Cromwell, as the King’s vice-regent (King Henry VIII), in an injunction to the clergy (September 1538), ordered to be set up in sum conuenient place wythin the said church that ye haue cure of, where as your parishioners may moste comodiously resorte to the same and reade it.

Collates exceptionally complete: quire * (of preliminaries) compromised with substantial chipping and repair – general title-page supplied, sized – lacks *2, first leaf of the Kalendar. [Q4], blank, excised as expected. Lacks only [Aai] (NT title-page) and [Nn8] final leaf (Table and Colophon). GGv mis-signed BBv. Mm iiii mis-signed M iiii. Woodcuts as called for.

Overall an exceptionally tall and crisp clean copy, with far less damp and other staining and repair than expected or usually encountered.

The single most important Bible of the established Church of England (the official Anglican Church) until the 1611 King James Bible. (The Church of England’s Book of Common Prayer still carries forward the Coverdale Psalter of the “Great” Bible. This Bible is a revision by Miles Coverdale of the 1537 “Matthew’s” Bible (of John Rogers) which Coverdale “corrected” chiefly by the aid of Sebastian Munster’s new critical Latin from the Hebrew OT (1534/5) and employing the Erasmus new Latin NT with a glance to the Complutensian Polyglot (see Herbert, p. 25). Coverdale worked under the direct patronage of Thomas Cromwell, so this edition is sometimes nicknamed the “Cromwell Bible” – and from the Second Edition forward the “Great” Bible contained a prologue by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, and is therefore sometimes nicknamed the “Cranmer Bible” (or version).

Ex-libris Zion Research Library, the A. Marguerite Smith Collection of Bibles and Related Books. Ex-Quaritch with their collation notes (matching mine) penciled on rear pastedown. (Quaritch describes this copy as better than the Rylands copy, “one of the finest in existence.”)

• Contact Us to order or inquire about this item.
• We accept credit cards and bank transfers as detailed here.

The Second Quarto Edition of Coverdale’s Diglot New Testament

[Bible in English.] The newe tes-/ tament both in Latine and/ Englyshe eche correspondente to/ the other after the vulgate text, com-/ munely called S. Jeromes… Prynted in Southwarke by James Nicolson. Set forth wyth the Kynges moost gracious lycence. [1538]

The second quarto edition of Coverdale’s diglot New Testament, a corrected edition of Nicolson’s faulty first edition (Herbert 37) which was repudiated by Coverdale. Here, the corrected text point shows at Matthew 26 C, “crowe” now for “synge.”

Collates as Herbert 37. Title-page here in old facsimile. Has 2 (of 6) preliminary leaves. A-Z8, Aa-Vv8. Revelation ends at Vv6 verso. Internally wants leaves [Bb8] and Cc[i], containing end of Acts 23 (modern verses 20-31) – that is, the text wants only eleven verses of text. Two final leaves of “Table” heavily repaired. Some tears/chips (some repaired); some damp and other staining. Some ink notes, e.g. II Corinthians [Gg6] verso.

Overall a near fine example of an exceptionally rare book.

nb: Title-page states Jeremiah quote as “xxxi” and Herbert states “xxii” while actually, the quote is from Jeremiah 23. Also, title page of this edition replaces attribution to Coverdale with attribution to one Johan Hollybushe, though work is still Coverdale’s.

Herbert 38 (cf. Herbert 37). DM 20 (cf 19). STC 2818 (cf 2816). Mozley, Coverdale and his Bibles, p. 188.

• Contact Us to order or inquire about this item.
• We accept credit cards and bank transfers as detailed here.