Holy Bible 1795 in Two Volumes

6B Scarce folio edition of King James Translation. London: Thomas Barnsley, The Letter Press, 1795.

Notes

The history of the printing and translation of the Bible is closely tied to the spread of literacy, religious reform, and printing technology in Europe. Before printing, the Bible circulated mainly as handwritten manuscripts, largely in Latin (the Vulgate), which limited access to clergy and scholars. The invention of the movable-type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in the mid-15th century transformed this situation; his Gutenberg Bible (c. 1455) was among the first major books printed in Europe. Printing made the Bible cheaper, more uniform, and widely available, while humanist scholarship encouraged returning to the original Hebrew and Greek texts. During the Reformation, translators such as Martin Luther, William Tyndale, and later the translators of the King James Version rendered the Bible into vernacular languages, aiming to make Scripture directly accessible to ordinary believers. These translations, multiplied rapidly through print, played a central role in shaping theology, national languages, and popular devotion.

Description

Fine red leather binding with gold tooling around front and back binding. Volume One Genesis to Job, Volume Two Psalms to Revelation. Five raised double bands with gilt lettering. Three edge gilt. Gilt embossed turn-ins. Ornamented engravings by James Fittler from works of old masters. Bookplate of Shute Barrington connecting through a line of Bishops. Fine condition.