HONE, William. The Apocryphal New Testament, Being All the Gospels, Epistles, and Other Pieces Now Extant, Attributed in the First Four Centuries to Jesus Christ, His Apostles, and Their Companions... London: Printed for William Hone, 1820. First Edition. Octavo, xv, 271pp.
This landmark volume is the historic, true first edition of William Hone's ground-breaking compilation of non-canonical Christian texts. Published in London in 1820, this work brought together translations of ancient gospels, letters, and early acts that were cast aside or rejected during the formation of the authorized biblical canon. By aggregating translations from earlier scholars like Jeremiah Jones and Archbishop William Wake, Hone democratized access to texts like the Infancy Gospels, the Epistles of Clement, and the Shepherd of Hermas, allowing ordinary citizens to examine the wider literary landscape of early Christianity.
Upon its immediate release, the book ignited a storm of ecclesiastical controversy. Traditional authorities accused Hone of trying to undermine the legitimacy of the Holy Scriptures. However, Hone—a radical journalist, bookseller, and legendary free-press champion—viewed the project as an essential triumph of open query and intellectual transparency. This copy represents a milestone in both textual biblical criticism and the nineteenth-century fight for the democratization of knowledge.
Condition Report
• Binding: Hardcover bound in a deeply textured, early publisher's black cloth binding with blind-stamped borders and central gothic floral medallions on the boards.
• Spine: Gilt-stamped spine text (APOCRYPHAL / NEW / TESTAMENT / — / HONE.) is bright and beautifully preserved. The head and tail of the spine exhibit expected cosmetic fraying and splitting along the cloth edges, with a slight lean to the textblock, while the structure remains stable.
• Interior: Complete and securely bound. The title page is clean with stark black typography. Internal leaves display occasional, very mild age-toning and light peripheral wear along a few page margins consistent with original 1820 machine paper, remaining entirely unmarked throughout the main body of the text.
