1551 English Protestant Bible boasting a complete text of the Old and New Testament, lacking eight preliminary leaves, including the general title page, up to and including AAii; AAv-vi; lacking title page to ‘The Boke of Joshua’ (Ai) and the final five leaves of the Table to the Epistles at the end of the New Testament, V4-8, the last of these being a blank. Overall thirteen printed leaves and one blank are lacking from this edition without affecting the Bible text.
DESCRIPTION: Small folio (27x20cm) bound in handsome late 17th century panelled calf with five broad spine bands and a red morocco label. Recent refurbishment to binding includes repair to the hinge with the lower board and strengthening to the corners of the boards. The binding is robust and presents very well. Red speckled edges to the text block with the editor’s name ‘Becke’ written on the foreedge, perhaps during the 18th century, and on the front pastedown. Penmanship on preliminaries, notably the first blank - ‘Matthew Wyatt His Bok 1678’ - a fragmentary blank leaf precedes this. The printed text (AAii) begins on the following leaf; extensive browning and some staining to these early leaves of the ‘table of the pryncipall matters’. William Tyndall’s ‘Prologe shewing the use of the scripture made by Wylliam Tyndall’ begins on Folio 1 followed by the Book of Genesis: eii-s6. The text proper has early annotation which adds verse numbers and challenges the marginal notes by crossing them through. Occasional closed tears and soiling to the text. Opposite the first leaf of the ‘The boke of Joshua’ is a mid-seventeenth century ownership inscription of ‘Anthony Carrington his booke 1658’; at E6-F2 a small burn hole, probably caused by ash: A-T6, V4. Title page present for ‘The thirde parte of the Byble’: AA1-YY6; AAA6, BBB4 and title page to ‘The volume of the bokes called Apocripha’ AAa-OOo6; title page of ‘The Newe Testament… 1551’ and on the verso ‘ Uvyllyam Tyndall unto the Christyan Reader…’ Each Gospel preceded by a woodcut: Aaaa-Tttt6; V1-3; lacking V4- terminal blank 8. There is severe wear to the last six leaves which have ragged foreedges, several having been trimmed to a smaller size during a phase when they were presumably detached from the volume. Early annotation to the last page of the ‘Revelation of S. Jhon’ which ends the New Testament. On the final blanks ‘Elizabeth Wyatt’, ‘Nic[olas] Smell’ of Witton, 1682 and ‘George Bussell 1737’ have recorded their ownership of the book. Quite extensive financial transactions between Nicolas Snell and ‘Brother Wyatt’ are recorded on the penultimate blank, dating to 1682.
BOOK HISTORY: Despite the title page which alludes to Matthew’s translation this is in fact a version by Taverner and Tyndale. The Old Testament and Apocrypha are a revised edition of Taverner's version, apparently by Edmund Becke, the editor of this Bible, and previously published in separate octavo parts by Day and Seres. The New Testament closely agrees with Day and Seres' Tyndale Testaments of 1548 and 1551. Herbert, Darlow and Moule 93.
