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1653 King James Bible - (“Unrighteous” Bible) | (Herbert 635.)
The "Unrighteous" Bible features a beautifully engraved general title page within a comprehensive historiated architectural border featuring Moses, Aaron, and a vignette of the Parliamentary arms. This is a highly desirable variant of the 1653 Pearl Bible text block, it is a true "First Edition",+ "First State" printing. This copy features the uncorrected 'Contaning' misprint on the third line of the title text, while explicitly displaying the rare 'W.V.' engraver's signature clearly visible in the lower-left corner of the architectural frame. A fantastic find for serious antiquarian collectors specializing in Commonwealth-era printing variants. Text block formatted in double columns with 62 lines of minute roman type per page. Separate New Testament title page at Qq3r. This copy exhibits the definitive first-state printing errors that led to its immediate notoriety and subsequent suppression by Parliament: 1 Corinthians 6:9: "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall inherit the kingdom of God" (omitting the crucial word "not"). Also, Romans 6:13: "Neither yield ye your members as instruments of righteousness unto sin" (substituting "righteousness" for "unrighteousness"). Herbert 635  |  ESTC R17145  |  24mo in twelves (4 1/4 × 2 1/2 inches | 10.75 x 6.35 cm).
 
This volume reflects the fierce political and commercial instability governing the print industry during the English Interregnum (1649–1660). Following the execution of King Charles I, the traditional royal printing patents were dissolved. In their stead, Oliver Cromwell's State granted printing monopolies were given to favored partisan printers. John Field, serving as the official Printer to the Parliament, secured a primary monopoly on printing English Bibles. Field rushed to fulfill the demand for small-format "pocket Bibles" 
to satisfy the intense, daily scriptural demands of the Puritan public and Cromwell's New Model Army soldiers. The immense speed of production combined with a severe lack of editorial oversight resulted in a notoriously corrupt text block. Field's 1653 printing became an immediate public scandal due to its glaring doctrinal reversals:
The political fallout was severe. Rivals of the Commonwealth used these errors as proof of God's displeasure with the Parliament's regime and the failure of their state-sanctioned monopolies. William Prynne and other religious critics publicly attacked Field, claiming the errors were deliberate subversions. Parliament subsequently ordered the immediate suppression, seizure, and public burning of thousands of these corrupted text sheets, rendering surviving copies exceedingly rare. 
While most pocket Bibles were bound in utilitarian sheepskin or calf for field use, this specific specimen represents a luxury commissions variant. The integration of engraved sterling silver clasps marked by a provincial silversmith, paired with the specific engraving of "Will: Masters" of "Bristol", provides crucial material evidence regarding luxury trade routes outside of London during the Commonwealth. It demonstrates how highly prized, and expensive, even a notoriously flawed printing format could become when personalized as a status symbol by wealthy regional merchants or gentry during the mid-seventeenth century.
 
The Exterior: This Bible is bound in distinctive contemporary English full black morocco, covers elaborately decorated in a "starry night" style with fine gilt pin-head accents (very rare) and single gilt-line borders; spine in six compartments with gilt-lettered "HOLY BIBLE" in the second compartment. Fitted with two robust contemporary sterling silver clasps and catches, each bearing an authentic seventeenth-century silver maker's stamp. The upper clasp plate finely engraved "Will Morle" and the lower clasp plate engraved "Bristol". Edges gilt. Marbled endpapers featuring a vibrant, contemporary seventeenth-century comb and chevron pattern in gold. Preliminary blank leaf preserving a later 19th-century ink ownership inscription: "Edward Pepper Jr. / Kegworth. / 27 - 3 - 85."
 
The Interior: The interior opens to a complete, full-page copper-plate allegorical title engraving featuring Moses and King David. The engraving is fully intact with sharp, clear impression lines and historically omits the phrase "by His Majesty's special command" to satisfy Commonwealth printing laws. Throughout the text block, the compact Roman font remains highly legible, arranged in a traditional two-column layout. The overall interior condition is remarkably stable and well-preserved for a 373-year-old pocket Bible. The paper has naturally aged into a warm, uniform antique cream tone, and it remains free of modern ink markings or severe damp staining. Natural signs of age and handled wear include mild foxing & light dust-soiling. In some areas as shown in the photos the text block shows very tight cropping to the outer margins, which is typical for miniature editions of this period. Minor text bleeding or "ghosting" is also visible due to the thinness of the historical paper, though it does not impact overall readability.
 
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