The Holy Bible

contemporary clasped calf with gilt lozenge centrepieces

A very well preserved folio edition of the King James Bible, complete in the original clasped calfskin binding with Speed's Genealogies, including his double-page engraved map of Canaan, The Book of Common Prayer and Sternhold & Hopkins' Psalmes.

The elaborate title border is that engraved by William Hole (d.1624), which had been used before in the folio Geneva Bible of 1607. 'As a copperplate-engraver Hole remained a specialist in engraving maps, music, and lettering... and he stands at the head of the seventeenth-century tradition of engravers who worked for writing-masters. He engraved the plates to Martin Billingsley's The Pens Excellencie, or, The Secretaries Delighte of 1618, the first important English engraved copybook, dedicated to Charles as Prince of Wales, and he was also responsible for the first engraved plates of music made outside Italy: the famous Parthenia of 1612–13 which contained music by William Byrd, John Bull, and Orlando Gibbons, and Angelo Notari's Prime musiche nuove of 1613' (ODNB).

Our example a variant with the date in the imprint of the engraved general title altered on the plate to read '1633'.

Four works in 1 vol.; folio (35.5 x 23.5 cm); engraved general title signed 'Guilielmus Hole', partially burnished out as noted by ESTC, with date in imprint altered to read '1633' on the plate, engraved NT title dated 1632, full-page woodcut illustration of Adam & Eve to verso of A10 (final f. of preliminaries, note ff A7-8 with incorrect printed signatures as A6-7), woodcut initials, head and tailpieces, further illustrated with Speed's genealogies and double-page map of Canaan, occasional toning, final f. of Psalmes laid down, title of Common Prayer affixed via stub, Speed map with loss to central portion of design with final f. reinforced to verso at gutter margin and tape repair to margin, A1 of Old Testament with closed tear crudely repaired, lower margin of Adam & Eve woodcut with tape repair not affecting design, some further closed repairs throughout, later endpapers; contemporary calf, gilt lozenge device to covers bisecting the initials 'I' and 'E', gilt faded, upper brass clasp in working order, remnants of the lower clasp, joints and corners expertly restored, very good.

ESTC S122379 (variant); Herbert 466; DM 359.