Description

The Bible.
That is, the Holy Scriptures contained in the Old and New Testament.

London: Printed by Robert Barker, Printer to the King’s Most Excellent Majestie, 1611.

Herbert 307.

Complete copy comprising:

• Old Testament (dated 1611)

• Apocrypha

• New Testament (separate woodcut title dated 1611)

• First Book of Tables

• Second Book of Tables

• “A Briefe Table of the Interpretation of the Proper Names…”

Ends at Revelation with “The End.” Tables conclude properly.

Historical Importance

The Geneva Bible was first produced in 1560 by English Protestant exiles in Geneva during the reign of Mary I. It quickly became the most widely read English Bible of the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

This 1611 edition is particularly significant because it was printed in the very same year as the first edition of the King James Version. Although the King James Bible would eventually replace it, the Geneva Bible remained the dominant household Bible for decades after 1611.

Notable historical context:

• The Geneva Bible introduced verse numbers into English Scripture.

• It contained extensive marginal notes reflecting Reformed theology.

• It was the Bible of Shakespeare and the Pilgrims.

• Early American colonists commonly brought Geneva Bibles with them.

• King James I objected to certain marginal notes, contributing to the commissioning of the Authorized Version.

Robert Barker, the royal printer, produced both Geneva and early King James Bibles. This edition represents the transitional moment between two of the most influential English Bible traditions.

Physical Description

• Early 17th-century full calf binding

• Raised bands to spine

• Blind-ruled panel decoration

• Contemporary or near-contemporary binding

• Decorative woodcut New Testament title page

• Extensive marginal commentary throughout

• Double-column blackletter text

• Apocrypha present

• Front cover binding is weak

Contents:

This copy contains:

• Old Testament title page dated 1611

• Complete Old Testament text

• Complete Apocrypha

• Separate New Testament title page dated 1611

• Complete New Testament text

• First Book of Tables

• Second Book of Tables

• Concordance and interpretive tables

Condition

• Leather binding heavily worn with cracking and dryness

• Edge wear and surface abrasion

• Minor staining and age toning

• Foxing and staining can be found (infrequently)

• Pages generally sound and legible

• Margins intact with no severe trimming

• Front cover binding is weak

• Spine was reinforced (Likely period)

• Only visible sign of damage is a tear on the very last leaf.

Provenance

Early ownership inscription and armorial device present.
Further research into heraldic ownership may yield additional historical interest.

Significance Summary

This is a substantial early 17th-century English Bible printed in the pivotal year 1611, the year the King James Version first appeared.

It represents:

• The final flourishing of the Geneva tradition

• A transitional moment in English religious history

• A surviving artefact of Reformation-era printing

• A Bible type associated with early English Protestantism and colonial America

A desirable and historically important example of early English Bible printing.

Dimensions:

Weight - 1.2KG

Height - 22.5cm

Width - 17cm

Thickness - 5.3cm