1585 Quatro Geneva "Breeches" Bible W/ Stylised Binding:
This is a stunning example of a rebound Geneva "Breeches" Bible. The above copy has had a period leather rebinding applied to it. The rebinding is beautiful as it is distinct with extensive tooling work completed on the cover and spine.
There are two book of psalms added to the tome. one with music scores and another without. There is a section called the "Godly prayers" found after the Book of Psalms but before the Old Testament. The Inscription shows us that the owners of this bible was a Mary E[lizabeth] and a Ann Cardey. This appears to be a condensed version of a book of common prayer, the said section of prayers is a comprised of 5 pages.
There is an inscription opposite to the NT title page from the 17th - 18th century.
What is fascinating about this printing year is that, 1585 was one of the last years of printing, that would not have used Tomson's revised New Testament (released in 1587). This style of New Testament became the new normal for all (Geneva) bibles to use.
It is similar to Herbert classification 187 (the dimensions are slightly off, although this could be due to the period repairs)
Dimensions:
Weight - 2.037KG
Height - 23cm
Width - 19cm
Thickness - 9cm
Damage (Please see above photos although it may be difficult to see):
- Missing OT title page
- There have been page repairs and some leaves have tears on the corners.
- Cropping.
- Foxing and Stains throughout the book.
- Some leaves have been frayed.
- Book of Psalms and Book of Common Prayer are incomplete.
- Light cracking along the connection from the spine to the front cover.
- Stains (burns?) on the bottom of the spine and front cover.
This is what the auctioneer had to say about this Bible:
Repaired closed tear to upper inner corner), early manuscript ownership and genealogical entries to verso of final leaf of Apocrypha (3I2) including 'John Cardey his book..., John the son of Thomas Cardey born April the 21, 1658...', some cropping throughout mostly to running titles, L2 torn to lower outer corner with text loss, upper half of 2D3 torn away and lacking with text loss, lacks leaves 3A7 and 3A8, upper margin of 2T1 torn with text loss, hole to leaves 2C3, 2I4, 2I6 and 2M8 with loss of few letters, 3F5 torn to upper outer corner with text loss, some leaves mostly at front frayed to edges with loss and repaired, bound with an incomplete and defective Book of Psalms and Common Prayer at front, bound with a Concordance and tables at rear, cropped at head to running titles and final leaf torn with loss and repaired, toning, dust-soiling, few marks and occasional damp-stains, 20th-century sheep with blind decoration to boards, rubbed and marked, 4to (20.7 x 16 cm)
