Name: 1911 KJV Pocket Bible With Wooden Cover
Brand: Momo Rare Books
Price: 595.00 GBP
Availability: InStock

This is far more than a standard Bible. While the text block is a 1911 Cambridge-printed King James Version issued by the British and Foreign Bible Society, the binding appears to have been specially commissioned using historic oak removed from Holy Trinity Church during restoration work. The result is a distinctive ecclesiastical artefact combining a printed Bible with timber from a centuries-old English parish church.

Description

King James Version (Authorized Version)
Printed 1911
British and Foreign Bible Society
Printed at Cambridge University Press
Compact "Ruby 16mo" edition
Custom oak board binding with carved Christian monogram
Leather spine titled "Holy Bible"
Complete Old and New Testaments
Handwritten provenance inscription inside cover

The Bible remains in very good antique condition. Pages are clean and complete with only light age toning. The leather spine shows expected wear from age and handling, while the oak boards remain solid and attractive.

Provenance: Oak from Holy Trinity Church Roof Timbers

A handwritten inscription inside the binding records:

"Oak taken from roof timbers of Rayleigh Church when restored in 1913."

This indicates the binding was created using oak removed during restoration of Holy Trinity Church in Rayleigh, Essex. Such commemorative objects were sometimes produced from historic church fabric after restoration projects, making each example highly individual.

The binding itself appears to have been purpose-made for this Bible shortly after the restoration, transforming an ordinary 1911 Bible into a unique church-related artefact with documented provenance.

About Holy Trinity Church, Rayleigh

Holy Trinity Church is one of the most historically significant buildings in Rayleigh, Essex. The church is a Grade II listed structure, a designation reserved for particularly important historic buildings. Parts of the surviving church date to the 12th century, while much of the present structure was rebuilt during the 14th and 15th centuries. The tower is believed to have been constructed using stone taken from the nearby medieval Rayleigh Castle. The church has undergone several restoration campaigns during the 19th and early 20th centuries, including the period referenced by the inscription in this Bible.