VICTORIAN BIBLE - AUTHORISED VERSION - WHITE METAL CLASPS .
The English Version Of The Polyglot Bible; Containing The Old And New testaments: With A Copious And Original Selection Of References To Parallel And Illustrative passages, Exhibted In A Manner Hitherto Unattempted...
London: Samuel Bagster & Sons, Paternoster Row, [ no date c. 1840 ]. 0. 8vo. 5.75" x 3.75" x 1" . A scarce bible with white metal clasp and corners. A very good original full leather binding. Black full calf (with the texture of "shark skin"), with blind-stamp decoration, with white metal outer corners and central clasp in working order. On one side of the clasp is stamped: "Bagster". The other is engraved with: "Presented to J. Colthurst Esqr. April 22nd, 1840." The spine has 5 raised bands, blind-stamp decorated compartments and gilt titles. All page edges bright gilt. Inner gilt dentilles, with gilt binder's stamp: "Bagster's Binding". Original yellow endpapers. Small bookseller's label to base of the verso of the front board: "Oldland, Bookseller, 28, Corn St, Bristol." Neat handwritten prayer to front free-endpaper dated: "22nd April, 1840". Clean text throughout. 4 books bound together, all with separate title pages: "Liturgia Britannica. - The Book Of Common Prayer.." ; The English Version Of The Polyglott Bible.." ; "The New Testament.." ; "Index To The Bible.." Clean English text throughout, with a central column of references. The preface to the bible is signed "T.C." i.e. Thomas Chandler. The books of the Apocrypha are ommitted. In all the Bible contains 10 coloured maps, signed "W. Hughes" The pagination is: pp.168 (Prayer Book)/[8pp.]/pp.585 (Old Testament)/[3pp.]/pp.188 (New Testament)/pp.42 (Index)/[4pp.]/pp.203 (concordance)/[1p.]/pp.72 (Psalms). Referenced by: Herbert . ** Samuel Bagster, the elder (1772-1851), founder of the publishing firm of Bagster & Sons, born 26 December 1772, was the second son of George and Mary Bagster, of Beaufort Buildings and St. Pancreas. He was educated at Northampton under Rev. John Ryland and after serving an apprenticeship with William Otridge, commenced business as a general bookseller on 19 April 1794 in the Strand, where he remained until 1816. He then moved to new premises at 15 Paternoster Row where the company stayed until 1850. A further move was then made to 14 King's Road, Bedford Row. The company traded as 'Samuel Bagster' from 1792 until1842. The name was then changed to 'Samuel Bagster & Sons'. Bagster had noted the rarity and consequent costliness of all polyglot bibles at the time, which gave him the idea of supplying the want of a handy and inexpensive edition. The production of English Bibles was a monopoly in the United Kingdom, confined in England to the King's printer and the two great Universities. It had been decided however, that the patent did not apply to bibles with printed notes. So, Bagster brought out 'The English Version of the Polyglot Bible', 1816, containing over 60,000 parallel references. The book was extremely successful, and was rapidly followed by versions of the bible in other various languages: Hebrew, Greek, Latin, French, German, Italian and Spanish. They were re-issued together in one volume entitled 'Biblia Polyglotta' in 1831. The popularity of Bagster's bibles led to 'The English Hexepla' in 1841, giving the six most important versions of the New Testament in the English tongue: Wiclif (1380); Tyndale (1534); Cranmer (1539); the Genevan (1557); the Anglo-Rhemish (1582), and the authorised (1611), together with the Greek text and a very good historical account of the English translations.

Chilton Books
Professional sellerBook number: 49425
GBP 140.00 [Appr.: EURO 160.25 US$ 187.99 | JP¥ 27804]
Keywords: 51169 Samuel Bagster & Sons English Version of the Polyglot Bible W. Hughes Thomas Chandler Bibles: : 19th Century