1599 Geneva Bible – Herbert 252 – Rare Quarto Edition – Barker Imprint – With Maps & Genealogies – Early Family Register

Condition: Very good for age; complete with title pages, maps, and genealogies. Rebound in full-leather binding. Interior clean with expected age toning.
Format: Quarto
Year: 1599
Printer: Christopher Barker
Reference: Herbert 252  – confirmed by Esther 1:1 line-break setting.

Short Description

Offered here is a genuine 1599 Geneva Bible, the most celebrated English Bible of the Reformation era. This edition retains all the hallmarks that made the Geneva Bible the most widely read translation of its century: verse numbers, extensive marginal study notes, woodcut maps, and the full John Speed Genealogies preceding Genesis.

This example is a quarto-format 1599 printing, classified as Herbert 252, the designation used in The Historical Catalogue of Printed Editions of the English Bible. This identification is confirmed by the specific typographic line-break variant in Esther 1:1 (“and / seven and twenty provinces”), the primary diagnostic used by Herbert to separate the quarto issues of that year.

The Bible includes the famous “Breeches” reading (Gen. 3:7), the Garden of Eden map, multiple decorative woodcut initials, and the complete Geneva study apparatus.

Provenance: The Shepard & Wilson families (1699–1785)

This Bible contains a remarkable series of eighteenth-century handwritten family records, documenting births, baptisms, and deaths of the Shepherd and Wilson families between 1699 and 1785. These pages serve as an authentic family register, preserved across several generations.

Recorded Entries Include:

The Wilson Family:

• William Wilson, b. 7 April 1710

• Mary Wilson, b. 14 January 1712

• Margaret Wilson, b. 18 April 1715

• Anna Wilson, b. 9 June 1718

With baptism dates carefully recorded beneath.

The Shepherd Family:

• Samuel Shepherd, b. 10 January 1699

• Samuel Shepherd (Jr.), b. 5 September 1709

• John Shepherd, b. 10 June 1718

• John Shepherd, d. 19 September 1720

• Mary Shepherd, b. 9 June 1724

• Samuel Shepherd, b. 13 October 1736

• John Shepherd, b. 17 July 1739

• Elizabeth Shepherd, b. 22 January 1742

• William Shepherd, b. 13 January 1745

Additional inscriptions include:

• “John Shepherd his book the 14th of July 1785”

• “Entered this the property of John Shepherd”

• “Esther Shepherd” (signature)

These family records add substantial historical interest. Bibles with multi-generational family inscriptions are highly prized by collectors and genealogists, and they elevate the personality, authenticity, and tangible human history of the volume.

Bibliographical Notes:

Herbert distinguishes the 1599 quarto editions primarily by the typesetting of Esther 1:1.
This Bible matches the Herbert 252 variant via:

• The line-break “and / seven and twenty provinces”, which is the defining marker for Herbert 252 (STC 2163)

• Quarto format

• Geneva notes throughout

• Presence of John Speed’s Genealogies and maps

The Geneva Bible (first printed 1560) was the standard household Bible of the English-speaking Protestant world. Produced by English exiles in Geneva, it was the first English Bible with verse numbers and the first to feature a full study commentary.

By 1599, the Geneva Bible had reached its peak influence. This edition was used by:

• Shakespeare & his contemporaries

• John Bunyan

• The Pilgrims and early American colonists

• English Puritans and Nonconformists

Its notes, maps, and clarity made it the greatest English Bible before the King James Version.

Why you would want this:

• Important 1599 Edition — The most popular and influential Geneva printing

• Herbert 252 Variant

• Complete with Speed’s Genealogies & Maps

• Rich Provenance — Over 80 years of family history recorded (1699–1785)

• New full-leather binding — Strong, clean, and suitable for display

• Historic & Collectible — Used by early English and colonial families

• Includes all Geneva Notes — Later banned under King James

This is an ideal piece for collectors, historians, religious institutions, genealogists, or anyone seeking a historically rich and aesthetically beautiful early-English Bible.

CONDITION

• Binding: Professionally rebound in full leather

• Text block: Solid and clean

• Maps & Genealogies: Present (one leaf is missing half of its page, it has been repaired)

• Title pages: All title pages are present.

• Family Records: Intact and legible.

• Foxing and staining can be found. (Please see above photos, one page has particularly heavy staining)

A Rare Opportunity

Complete, well-preserved 1599 Geneva Bibles with Herbert 252 identification and extensive eighteenth-century family records seldom appear on the market.
This volume embodies over four centuries of English-speaking history.