The Bible. Translated According to the Ebrew and Greeke, and conferred with the best Translations in Divers Languages. With most profitable Annotations…: Largest and Most Impressive of the Geneva Folios

London: Christopher Barker, 1583. Pulpit Folio (16.75 x 11.25 in). The Grand Noble Geneva Bible in pulpit folio size with large margins and black letter text. A particularly tall and complete copy of the largest and most impressive of the Geneva folios with four woodcut titles.

Description

General title page (1583) with elaborate woodcut border printed in red and black with red highlights. The preliminary leaves include the Epistle (1 f.), Address (1 p.), Cranmer's Prologue (4 pp.), Genealogical Table (11 pp.), An Almanacke (1 p.), Kalender in red and black (12 pp.), List of Books (1 p.), How to Take Profite… (1 p.), The Summe of the whole Scripture (2 pp.), Certaine questions and answeres… (2 pp.), Of the incomparable Treasure (1 p.). The large copperplate engraving of Adam and Eve makes its first appearance facing Genesis 1. Text in two-column black letter. Full set of illustrations and maps. Separate title page to the Book of Psalms (1583) with a different woodcut border featuring Lady Justice and Mercy. Near full-page woodcut of Ezekiel's temple. Title page to the Apocrypha (1583) like the Psalms title. New Testament title page with woodcut border like the general title. Ends with the complete Tables.

Collation

A-C^6, D^4 (Prelims); A-Z^6, Aa-Zz^6, Aaa-Zzz^6, Aaaa-Vvvv^6 (Old Testament); A-Z^6 (New Testament); *^6, **^4 (Tables). Lacks first blank leaf, else complete with all titles.

Binding

Rebacked brown calf with contemporary covers over beveled thick oak boards. Boards with eight corner pieces (six appear original). Spine with six raised bands and the words "Holy Bible" and "London – 1583" lettered in gilt. Later grey endpapers.

Condition

Text is overall crisp and clean with very wide margins; the tallest copy we have ever handled. Rubbed with straps perished. Top of spine slightly weakened but holding well. General title page soiled to edges with spotting, portion of fore-edge and lower margin repaired, not impacting borders; C3,4 of prelims with lower margin trimmed; A-C lower marginal staining and occasional spotting, corner repairs; A-Yy leaves occasionally and expertly recornered to lower margin never impacting text; Llll1 repaired closed tear into text without loss; Mmm4 (Ecclesiasticus 7) lower corner repair with loss of a couple of verses of text; A3-4,S2,X6 (New Testament) with lower corner repair. Final few leaves of table with stain to gutter and last leaf repaired to upper margin.

Note

The 1583 Grand Noble is the largest and most popular of the almost 200 editions of the Geneva Bible. The typography of this edition is quite pleasing, and the book boasts wide margins and attractive black letter text with four title pages, including the very first appearance of the large engraving of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. An impressive complete copy of a highly desirable book in contemporary calf with metalwork.

References

Herbert 178; STC 2136; ESTC S42; Luborsky 2136.