1599 Geneva “Breeches” Bible woodcuts, Tomson & Junius, Maps & Early Provenance For Sale

Date stated: 1599
Bible: Geneva Bible
Language: English
Text: Geneva Old Testament; Laurence Tomson New Testament; Junius Revelation
Format: Quarto
Illustrations: Numerous woodcuts, maps and diagrams
Apocrypha: Not present, apparently consistent with copies issued without it
Binding: Later dark calf, probably late 19th/early 20th century
Provenance: Extensive manuscript inscriptions and family records; Michael Stoughton bookplate
Condition: Used antiquarian condition with staining, wear, manuscript annotations, historical repairs and later binding/strengthening

An extensively illustrated and heavily annotated Geneva Bible bearing the date 1599, containing the celebrated Geneva translation of the Old Testament together with Laurence Tomson\'s revision of the New Testament and Franciscus Junius\'s annotations upon Revelation.

The Geneva Bible was one of the most important English Bibles of the Reformation, distinguished by its extensive marginal commentary, cross-references, maps, diagrams and other study aids. This copy retains numerous woodcut illustrations and maps as well as substantial early manuscript annotations and family records, providing fascinating evidence of its use across several centuries.

The general title reads:

The Bible: That is, the Holy Scriptures conteined in the Old and New Testament. Translated according to the Ebrew and Greeke, and conferred with the best Translations in divers Languages.

The New Testament is the revised version associated with Laurence Tomson, based upon Theodore Beza, while Revelation incorporates the annotations of the Reformed theologian Franciscus Junius. These features are characteristic of a number of the celebrated Geneva Bible editions carrying the date 1599.

The actual printing history of these editions is considerably more complicated than the title-page date suggests. Bibliographical records identify a number of distinct editions carrying the 1599 imprint, some of which were printed in the Low Countries considerably later. Consequently, the date should be understood as the stated imprint date until the precise edition is established from its textual and typographical variants.

The volume contains numerous characteristic Geneva Bible illustrations and diagrams, including biblical maps and architectural and genealogical illustrations.

Among those observed are:

• the map describing the Holy Land and locations mentioned by the Evangelists
• Ezekiel\'s vision
• illustrations and diagrams associated with the Temple and Tabernacle
• the laver
• the elaborate diagram concerning consanguinity and affinity in relation to marriage
• numerous decorative initials, headpieces and tailpieces

Such visual and reference material formed an important part of the Geneva Bible\'s function as a Bible intended not simply for reading, but for detailed personal study.

The New Testament survives through Revelation 22, ending with the final verse and the printed words:

THE END.

followed by a large ornamental woodcut.

The supplementary material at the rear also survives, including \"The Order of Time, whereunto the Contents of this booke are referred\", material relating to The Revelation of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist, and the concluding tables.

The final table reaches its printed conclusion, \"The end of the Table,\" accompanied by another large ornamental woodcut.

One of the most appealing features of this particular copy is its extensive manuscript material.

Several leaves contain substantial early handwritten biblical notes and cross-references. These appear to represent the work of an earlier reader actively studying the text rather than merely later ownership scribbles.

Numerous biblical books, chapters and verses are referenced throughout the manuscript notes, creating a tangible record of how the Bible was actually read and studied by an earlier owner.

The volume contains numerous early ownership inscriptions and genealogical records.

Among the family entries are records relating to members of the Badger and Parsons families, including births recorded during the later seventeenth century. One ownership inscription also appears to read:

\"William Ayling his Book\"

Further manuscript notes, calculations, pen trials and later dates appear on the endpapers and pastedowns, demonstrating continued ownership and use over several generations.

A later Michael Stoughton ex libris bookplate provides another stage in the provenance of the volume.

Together these inscriptions provide an unusually tangible history of ownership extending across centuries.

The Bible has been rebound in dark calf, probably during the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. The date of the rebinding is not recorded, although its style and association with the later Michael Stoughton provenance suggest an early twentieth-century date is plausible.

The binding is plain and functional, with dark calf boards and spine. It shows rubbing, scuffing and general surface wear consistent with use.

There is later strengthening/repair visible internally, particularly around the rear hinge.

A heavily used historical copy showing substantial evidence of its long working life.

The leaves exhibit general toning, staining, handling marks, edge wear, occasional tears and losses, together with various historical repairs. Several leaves have been repaired using pieces of old printed paper.

There are numerous manuscript annotations, inscriptions and ownership records throughout.

The binding is later, probably early twentieth century, and itself shows wear and subsequent strengthening.

Importantly, the New Testament reaches the conclusion of Revelation and the subsequent tables reach their printed ending.

The Apocrypha is not present.

More than four centuries of use remain visible throughout this Bible.

Its combination of the famous Geneva translation, Tomson New Testament, Junius Revelation, extensive marginal commentary, surviving maps and woodcuts, early biblical study notes, seventeenth-century family records and later provenance makes this an especially evocative example of the Geneva Bible as a working family and study Bible rather than simply a surviving antiquarian book.

The generations of handwriting are particularly appealing, preserving evidence of readers who owned, studied and recorded their families within the volume long before it entered the modern antiquarian market.

• Weight - 1.16kg
• Height - 21.8cm
• Width - 17.5cm
• Thickness - 4.6cm