Beschreibung:

BIBLE, English . The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments: Newly translated out of the Original Tongues; And with the former Translations Diligently compared and revised. Philadelphia: R[obert] Aitken 1782-81. 2 vols., 12mo, 152 x 90 mm. (6 x 3 9/16 in.), contemporary sheep, spines ruled in gilt, vol. 1 lacking lower cover, upper cover detached, vol. 2 with endpapers renewed, tightly bound, covers rubbed, last leaf (N.T. fol. Dd5) defective (approximately 20 words lost) and laid down on heavy paper, marginal repairs affecting a few letters of fols. O.T. Bb1 Zz1-2 and 7, and N.T. B1, B4, O3 and T4, fols. Kk12v-Ll1r with erasure effacing parts of 16 lines, 4 headlines shaved, scattered paper flaws occasionally affecting text, vol. 2 dampstained, scattered spotting or foxing, more severe in vol. 2 . FIRST EDITION OF THE BIBLE IN ENGLISH PRINTED IN AMERICA, and the only Bible authorized and approved by Congress, with the misprints "not" for "now" in II Kings vii.12 and "thy" for "the" in I Timothy iv.6, Hosea vi misnumbered vii. Double column, titles within type ornament borders and with woodcut vignettes, the first showing the arms of the City of Philadelphia. Evans 17473; Herbert 1283; Rumball-Petre, America's First Bibles , Portland, Maine 1940, pp. 81-96; Sabin 5165. During the Revolution the supply of imported English Bibles was naturally severely curtailed. In 1777 the possibility of advancing the substantial sum required to print a Bible in the United States was already discussed by Congress, who estimated the print-run necessary to satisfy demand at twenty to thirty thousand. On 10 September 1782 Congress passed a resolution endorsing the printing of a Bible by the Congressional printer Robert Aitken, and authorized him to publish their recommendation of his "pious and laudable undertaking...in the manner he shall think proper." Aitken thus printed the Congressional resolution on the contents leaf following the general title of his Bible. Known as the "Revolution Bible," it was printed in "a very large edition... perhaps even twenty thousand copies... It was a large enough edition to threaten the financial condition of the printer to Congress..." (Rumball-Petre, p. 88). Copies are nevertheless now scarce, and "are only found in poor condition of paper, and with narrow margins" (Evans). It is worth noting that many surviving copies have been rebound and fine copies are very rare. Provenance : Samuel Whitaker Pennypacker (1843-1916), Governor of Pennsylvania and preeminent collector of Pennsylvaniana, bookplate (sale, Henkels & Co., Philadelphia, 26 November 1907). (2)