The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-03-29
FAMOUS BIBLES or The WORLD
BREECHES BIBLE MOST FAMIL-
LIR or FREAK EDITIONS.

The Brooches Bible seems 10 be the best
known, at least by name, Of all the fsmou,
editions Of the great book. Plenty Of well
read persons are vague, or absolutely blank
., you talk Of the Bug Bible, the Rosln Bible,
the Vinegar Bible, the Wicked Bible.
They look intelligent at Che mention Of
the Brooches Bible, but II IL came right
down TO verse and chapter It. Is doubtful
If one in a hundred Of them could repeat
tho lines which give the version ia name.
The common impression is that there
are very, very few copies Of the Bible con-
tanning the brooches reading, and the UNI
informed person is sometimes puzzled to
find two copies, Of different ownership and
not At all alike In general appearance,
loudly proclaimed as 'the famous Brooches
Bible, you know
As a matter Of fact there were scores OF
editions printed which contained the
brooches reading. And while three CEN
turtles have weeded out the larger share
n this output there still exist copies Of
various shapes, sizes and sources.
Taking up the Brooches Bible first is to
put il ahead Of earlier and far rarer YER
sions. The place TO begin a history Of
English Bibles Is with Tyndale's New Testa-
ment, one Of the rsrest books In our Ian
EuSge. Only two copies are known TO exist.
one is at ST. Paul's in London and one at
the Baptist College at Bristol, England.
Neither Of these copies is complete. The
one at ST. Psul's is very imperfect aud the
one at Bristol lacks the title. The volume
IL an octave and was printed at Worms,
probably in 1929. 1t was the first printed
edition Of the New Testament in English.
Another rare book is a copy Of the same
translation Tyndale's) printed at Antwerp
IN 1894. This one is adorned with numerous
~voodcuts, chiefly in the Book OF REVEAL
ton, which contains twenty-t two startling
pictures.
or course the greatest English Bible, in
ia historical significance, is what Is known
~ the Coverdale Bible. The discovery OF
sperfect copy Of the Coverdale Bible would
stir all Ch~ristendom. 1t Is said that there
"A only n perfect copy Of the original
edition az it came from the hands Of the
PRINTER. That copy is in the possession Of
he Earl OF jersey.
This fact alone would make the book
\ prize to he coveted by collectors. But
add TO this the fact that Co~verdale's Bible
vas the first one printed in the English
language and it is not 10 be wondered ut
hat a copy Of it commands the reverence
Il many and the respect OF all.
It was printed at Antwerp in 1886 by
Jacob van Meteren. who was probably
employed by Coverdale 10 edit the work
and to see it through the press. He after
ward sold the edition 10 James Nicholson
n Southwark. an English printer and
publisher. The latter seems 10 have had il
on his hands for some time, for we find
different copies with the front leaves
changed % as TO allow a new dedication to
NJ a change in sovereign.
Nicholson finally worked on the original
edition and the demand must have picked
up somewhat, for in 1897 he printed two
more editions, one a folio and the other
a quarto. The original edition il a folio.
Next came the Matthews Bible, pub
Ished in London in 1897. though it is said
by some authorities TO have been printed
IN Antwerp by the enterprising Van Meteren
and sold by him to the London publishers.
II was edited by John Rogers, the first
martyr under Queen Mary. Rogers simply
assumed the name Of Thomas Matthews,
70 that his version Is called after a myth.
Taverner's Bible also appeared in 1880,
printed at London lin Fletestrete at tho
sygne Of the some by John Byddell for
Thomas Barthlet,' This version is seldom
found complete.
The Great Bible, also known as Gran
mer's Bible, appeared in 1889, published in
London. During 1889 and the two sue
ceeding years no less than seven distinct
editions we're printed. They were much
alike. Perfect copies are quite rare. Most
n the copies known are made up from
others by taking missing portions and
assembling them.
In 1910 a second edition OF the Great
Bible was printed, being the first to con-
Cranmer's preface. Its price was
fixed by law at 10 shilings unbound.
Public copies we're sometimes attached
70 pillars in churches and accompanied
with a copy Of the Kings injunction that
they be read with Discretion, Honest
Charity and Quiet Behaviour" This
sas the first edition Of the Bible that oon-
aimed the words appointed to be used Of
he churches I
The edition commonly known as the
Rug Bible was the Mathews version printed |
n London in 1851 by Nicolas Hyll for Rob I
N Toy and others. H. Is inscribed: Sim
at the cost and charges Of certayne 7
men Of the occupacyon. whose
be upon their boxes"
Il takes its name from the reading Of
xci., 5: so that thou shalt not nede
0 be afraid for any bugges by nighte. nor
or the arrow that fieth by day. Our
.rosent version reads: Thou shalt not be I
liraid Of the terror by night 1
The reading "bugges' is common TO the 4
.er'ions Of Coverdale, Matthews and Tav- I
rnsr, all Of which might just as well be I
alled Bug Bibles. The Great Bible, the
,eneyan and the Bishops have 'terrour.' :
The Brooches Bible is really better de-
az the Geneva version. II was the \
work of English religious eIiles at Geneva
the reign Of Queen Mary. They c
revised and printed the New Testament o
n 1851. 1t is said TO be the first time II was v
in roman type. 1t is very beauti- II
llIy done in small but clear letters,
Another notable feature Of this 1857 Testa- a
nent was that in It, for the first time, the p
ext was divided into verses and italics were a
sad TO indicate the introduction Of words 81
oi found in the original tongue. o.
Although this was the first Geneva YER