{"product_id":"1599-geneva-bible-herbert-249-illustrated-quarto-early-binding-and-musical-psalms","title":"1599 Geneva Bible, Herbert 249, Illustrated Quarto, Early Binding and Musical Psalms","description":"\u003ch1 data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"\u003eOverview:\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn attractive and extensively illustrated example of the famous 1599 Geneva Bible, identified as Herbert 249.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrinted in Roman type in double columns, with the extensive marginal annotations characteristic of the Geneva Bible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHerbert 249 Identification\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis copy has been identified as Herbert 249 through its characteristic textual readings, including:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul data-spread=\"false\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSong of Solomon 5:3: “put”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIsaiah 30:32: “beards” for “harps”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIsaiah 36:12: “doung”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMatthew 24:50: without the repeated line found in Herbert 248\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe New Testament follows Laurence Tomson's revision, while Revelation incorporates the translation and annotations associated with Franciscus Junius.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBibliographical references: Herbert 249.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Apocrypha\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe absence of the Apocrypha in this copy is therefore consistent with the known makeup of Herbert 249.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eIllustrations and Maps\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Bible retains an impressive collection of the woodcut maps, plans, diagrams and illustrations associated with this edition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese include:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul data-spread=\"false\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Situation of the Garden of Eden\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe journeys of the Israelites through the wilderness\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe division of Canaan amongst the tribes of Israel\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe prohibited degrees of marriage\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Ark of the Covenant and furnishings of the Tabernacle\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSolomon's Temple\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Vision of Ezekiel\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe plan of Ezekiel's Temple\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese illustrations are amongst the most immediately recognisable features of the illustrated quarto Geneva Bibles and add considerably to the visual appeal of the volume.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eMetrical Psalms with Music\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBound at the rear is The Booke of Psalmes, containing the metrical Psalms associated with Thomas Sternhold, John Hopkins and others.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Psalter retains its printed musical notation, intended to accompany the singing of the Psalms.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIts 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eProvenance and Inscriptions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe volume contains numerous historic ownership inscriptions, pen trials and manuscript notes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNames 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA later armorial bookplate reads:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEx Libris Michael Stoughton\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ewith heraldic arms and crest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eBinding\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBound in early leather-covered boards with decorative tooling, subsequently rebacked in vellum\/parchment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe earlier boards are heavily worn from use, while the contrasting vellum spine represents a later historical repair intended to keep the volume serviceable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLater decorative pastedowns are present.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCondition\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA genuine antiquarian working copy showing considerable evidence of more than four centuries of use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNumerous historic manuscript inscriptions, ownership marks and pen trials occur on the blanks and elsewhere.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe New Testament title page is present, together with the concluding biblical tables and the 1599 Barker colophon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe numerous surviving maps, plans and woodcut illustrations remain particularly attractive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Apocrypha is not physically present despite appearing in the printed list of books, a feature consistent with the known issue of Herbert 249.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a minor spinal \"tilt\".\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease examine the photographs carefully as they form an important part of the condition description.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHistorical Importance\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis example belongs to that group and is specifically identifiable as Herbert 249.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhy Buy This Copy?\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is an especially characterful example of the 1599 Geneva Bible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIts 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA substantial and visually appealing survivor from one of the most important periods in the history of the English Bible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWeight - 1.47g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHeight - 22cm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWidth - 18cm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThickness - 6.8cm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Momo Rare Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55091595805011,"sku":null,"price":3000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0953\/9187\/5411\/files\/IMG_9373.jpg?v=1790617183","url":"https:\/\/www.momorarebooks.co.uk\/products\/1599-geneva-bible-herbert-249-illustrated-quarto-early-binding-and-musical-psalms","provider":"Momo Rare Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}