BIBLE IN ENGLISH

THE HOLY BIBLE, CONTAINING THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE NEW: NEWLY TRANSLATED OUT OF THE ORIGINAL TONGUES: AND HATH THE FORMER TRANSLATIONS DILIGENTLY COMPARED AND REVISED. OXFORD: JOHN BASKETT, 1717-1716

2 volumes, folio (20 3/4 x 13 1/2 in.; 527 x 343 mm). Engraved frontispiece (vol. I♈), engraved vignettes on general title and New Testament title, engraved head- and tail-piece vignettes, engraved initials. Contemporary black panelled morocco, covers with gilt roll and ornamental corner-pieces, gilt central lozenge, spines with raised bands in nine compartment, morocco lettering pieces to second, others with elaborate repeat gilt pattern, gilt dentelles, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers; minor and expert repairs to head and tail of joints. 

First edition of the richly illustrated "Vinegar Bible"—a "magnificent edition" (Darlow & Moule)

Commonly known as the "Vinegar Bible", due to the misprinting of "the parable of the vineyard," which appeared as "the parable of the vinegar," which headlines Luke 20. While a contemporary lambasted Baskett for this and other typographical errors in the text, calling it a "Baskett-ful of errors," Oxford historian of printing Harry Carter states that "only Baskerville's Bible is its equal among English Bibles for beauty of type, impression, and paper" (The History of the Oxford University Press I:171).

In 1709 John Baskett purchased the exclusive royal patent to print Bibles in England, control of which his family retained until 1799. This monumental edition of the Bible is among Baskett's most important works, highly regarded for its large, elegant type, its 60 strik🧔ing copper-engraved vignette head- and tailpieces, andᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ its many delicately engraved historiated initials. Two distinct variants are recorded: the present copy is Darlow & Moule's issue A, with an additional engraved general title page depicting Moses writing the first words of Genesis (here bound as frontispiece), a vignette view of Oxford on the general title page, and vignette title page for the New Testament depicting the Annunciation, dated 1716.

REFERENCE:

Darlow & Moule 735; Herbert 942

PROVENANCE:

Sir John Hynde Cotton (armorial bookplate); William Charles Smith (arm๊orialꦅ bookplate)