1584 Bishops Bible Folio (Last Quarto Edition)
 
The 1584 Bishops’ Bible represents a critical transitional period in English history, serving as the official ecclesiastical bridge between the Great Bible of Henry VIII and the later King James Version. Commissioned by the Church of England to counter the popular but "radical" marginal notes of the Geneva Bible, this edition was the version read aloud from church pulpits during the height of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign. While it struggled to compete with the Geneva Bible, its historical weight is immense, the 1584 printing was the final quarto edition of the series, and the overall text of the Bishops' Bible was the primary model that King James’s translators were legally required to follow in 1611, ensuring its phrasing and rhythm survived into the most famous English Bible of all time.
 
Condition Details: Bible begins at (Preliminaries) B6 in the Collects and continues until its end at C4, after-which it includes The Whole Scripture of the Bible, followed by A Prayer, No General Title Page Present, and then begins the Old Testament at Gen Ch 1. w/ text loss at the lower right edge of the leaf (see photo). Pages are a bit rough with heavy chipping along outer edge until Gen. Ch 23. after-which the leaves appear quite nice. The leaves are tightly cropped along the top and fore edge, affecting page titles and marginalia in some areas. There is a small closed tear at G3 and small burn whole at G6. The Bible continues quite nicely and ends at the close of Revelation, w/ Apocrypha Title, NT Title and Whole Book of Psalmes Title intact. There is staining, some dog-earing and some repaired leaves where text-loss occurs (see photos).The Whole Booke of Psalmes appears quite complete through Psalme 150 (CL) and continues w/ The Lord's Prayer, The VII Articles of the Christian Faith, A Lamentation, A Thanksgiving and end on A Prayer against the Divel & His Manifold Temptations.
 
We provide detailed photographs to allow you to assess the book's condition and aesthetic appeal. Many, if not all, of the early books and Bibles we offer will show signs of aging, whether it's foxing on the pages, dog-eared or chipped corners, inscriptions from previous owners, or staining from years of use.  Read More & Review Condition Grading Chart