1640/39 King James Bible & 1865 Francis Fry

Description

The King James Bible
Fifth Folio Edition, 1640/1639

[Bible in English.] The/Holy/Bible./Containing/the Old/Testament/ and/ The New./Newly translated out of/ the originall Tongues:/ And with the former Translations/ diligently compared and revised,/ by His Majesties speciall/ commandment./Appointed to be read in Churches./London:/ Printed by Robert Barker,/Printer to the Kings most Excellent/ Majestie: And by the assignes of/ John Bill. 1640. [NT title dated 1639.]

The fifth and last distinct folio edition of the King James Bible.

Collation: A4 B4 C6 D4 A-Z6 etc – Aaaaaa-Dddddd6; 732 ff. (collates as 1617 edition). Textually complete. Without inserted genealogies or map. General title-page stained but genuine, quite rare. Occasional corner and margin repairs and closed tears. Some general light soiling as expected. Some marginal ink notes, arithmetic and pentrials (elaborate on Iiii2 verso). Other minor flaws: e.g., for ID purposes: B1 lower margin renewed; C5 & 6 repaired; Ddd6 and Eee[1] supplied from another copy; Hhh4 stained; Eee4-Hhh4 with notable paper repairs, mostly to lower margin (similarly in Lll and Mmm and a few passages elsewhere); Ffff4 and 5 repaired with loss of text; 5P4 and 5 extended, likely supplied; 6C2 repaired into text. Last two leaves of Revelation provided in facsimile.

Overall a very nice copy in modern full polished dark calf, boards paneled in blind, spine plain.

Herbert 543; Darlow & Moule 421; STC 2339.

 

1865 A Description of the Great Bible

FRY, Francis, F.S.A. A DESCRIPTION OF THE GREAT BIBLE, 1539, and the Six Editions of Cranmer’s Bible, 1540 and 1541, Printed by Grafto and Whitechurch: also of the Editions, in Large Folio, of the Authorized Version of the Holy Scriptures, Printed in the Years 1611, 1613, 1617, 1634, 1640.

Illustrated with Titles, and with Passages from the Editions, the Genealogies, and the Maps, Copied in Facsimile, also with Identification of every Leaf of the First Seven, and of many Leaves of the other Editions; on Fifty-One Plates. TOGETHER WITH AN ORIGINAL LEAF OF EACH OF THE EDITIONS DESCRIBED.

London, Willis and Sotheran, 1865. Folio. 41.7 x 27 cm. [viii], 42pp. + 52[f., with two charts, one of them folding, and 14 original leaves from early Bibles. Francis Fry collected more than 1300 early Bibles, focusing on Tyndale, Coverdale, and Cranmer. This is an extraordinary leaf book, in almost perfect condition.

With Presentation and Signature of Francis Fry.