Overview:

An attractive and extensively illustrated example of the famous 1599 Geneva Bible, identified as Herbert 249.

The title and colophon give the imprint of the Deputies of Christopher Barker, London, 1599, although this edition belongs to the well-known group of nominally 1599 Geneva Bibles produced in the Low Countries for the English-speaking Protestant market.

Printed in Roman type in double columns, with the extensive marginal annotations characteristic of the Geneva Bible.

Herbert 249 Identification

This copy has been identified as Herbert 249 through its characteristic textual readings, including:

• Song of Solomon 5:3: “put”

• Isaiah 30:32: “beards” for “harps”

• Isaiah 36:12: “doung”

• Matthew 24:50: without the repeated line found in Herbert 248

The New Testament follows Laurence Tomson's revision, while Revelation incorporates the translation and annotations associated with Franciscus Junius.

Bibliographical references: Herbert 249.

The Apocrypha

An interesting feature of this edition is that the Apocrypha is included in the printed list of books, but is not physically present within the Bible.

This is characteristic of Herbert 249 and does not necessarily indicate that a section has subsequently been removed. Bibliographical descriptions of the edition record it as having been issued without the Apocrypha, although it continued to be named in the preliminary list of biblical books.

The absence of the Apocrypha in this copy is therefore consistent with the known makeup of Herbert 249.

Illustrations and Maps

The Bible retains an impressive collection of the woodcut maps, plans, diagrams and illustrations associated with this edition.

These include:

• The Situation of the Garden of Eden

• The journeys of the Israelites through the wilderness

• The division of Canaan amongst the tribes of Israel

• The prohibited degrees of marriage

• The Ark of the Covenant and furnishings of the Tabernacle

• Solomon's Temple

• The Vision of Ezekiel

• The plan of Ezekiel's Temple

These illustrations are amongst the most immediately recognisable features of the illustrated quarto Geneva Bibles and add considerably to the visual appeal of the volume.

Metrical Psalms with Music

Bound at the rear is The Booke of Psalmes, containing the metrical Psalms associated with Thomas Sternhold, John Hopkins and others.

The Psalter retains its printed musical notation, intended to accompany the singing of the Psalms.

Its presence provides an excellent illustration of how Geneva Bibles could function within both Protestant worship and the household, combining the biblical text with a Psalter intended for communal singing.

Provenance and Inscriptions

The volume contains numerous historic ownership inscriptions, pen trials and manuscript notes.

Names include Ambrose Gilbert and Mary Gilbert, with one inscription apparently recording Honiton, 27 July 1751. Further manuscript material includes repeated names, writing exercises, flourishes and small pen drawings.

These inscriptions provide an attractive record of the Bible's history as a working family volume rather than simply a book preserved untouched on a shelf.

A later armorial bookplate reads:

Ex Libris Michael Stoughton

with heraldic arms and crest.

Binding

Bound in early leather-covered boards with decorative tooling, subsequently rebacked in vellum/parchment.

The earlier boards are heavily worn from use, while the contrasting vellum spine represents a later historical repair intended to keep the volume serviceable.

Later decorative pastedowns are present.

Condition

A genuine antiquarian working copy showing considerable evidence of more than four centuries of use.

The text shows general age toning, staining, spotting and handling marks throughout. There are occasional marginal tears, losses, creasing and areas of heavier wear, with some individual leaves showing more substantial damage.

Numerous historic manuscript inscriptions, ownership marks and pen trials occur on the blanks and elsewhere.

The early leather boards are heavily rubbed and worn, with losses and deterioration consistent with age and use. The volume has subsequently been rebacked in vellum/parchment.

The New Testament title page is present, together with the concluding biblical tables and the 1599 Barker colophon.

The numerous surviving maps, plans and woodcut illustrations remain particularly attractive.

The Apocrypha is not physically present despite appearing in the printed list of books, a feature consistent with the known issue of Herbert 249.

This is a minor spinal "tilt".

Please examine the photographs carefully as they form an important part of the condition description.

Historical Importance

The Geneva Bible was one of the most influential English translations of the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. First published in 1560 by English Protestant exiles associated with Geneva, it became particularly famous for its extensive explanatory notes, maps and study aids.

The editions carrying the date 1599 form a particularly fascinating chapter in its history. Numerous distinct editions survive bearing the same nominal London imprint and date, despite evidence that many were actually produced in the Low Countries.

This example belongs to that group and is specifically identifiable as Herbert 249.

Why Buy This Copy?

This is an especially characterful example of the 1599 Geneva Bible.

Its appeal lies not only in its age, but in the combination of its Herbert 249 identification, numerous surviving woodcut maps and illustrations, musical metrical Psalms, early leather boards, historic vellum reback, eighteenth-century Gilbert family inscriptions and later Michael Stoughton provenance.

The unusual relationship between the contents list and the absent Apocrypha is also a genuine bibliographical feature of the edition rather than simply evidence of an incomplete copy.

A substantial and visually appealing survivor from one of the most important periods in the history of the English Bible.

Dimensions:

• Weight - 1.47g
• Height - 22cm
• Width - 18cm
• Thickness - 6.8cm