“Child Killers Bible” 1795

6B “Child Killers Bible” with misprint in Mark 7:27. London: Thomas Bensley, 1795. In three volumes.

Notes

This particular Bible set is notable for a misprint in Mark 7:27 where the word “killed” is in place of the correct word, “filled.” So the verse reads, “But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be killed: for it is not meet to take children’s bread, and cast it unto the dogs.” It is known as the “Child Killers Bible” due to this misprint.

The Bible was central to the early history of printing in Europe, beginning most famously with Johannes Gutenberg’s 42-line Bible around 1455, the first major book printed with movable metal type in the West. Early printed Bibles were typically in Latin (the Vulgate) and intended for clergy and scholars, but the Reformation in the 16th century dramatically expanded Bible printing in vernacular languages such as German, English, and French. Advances in printing technology, increased literacy, and religious reform movements made the Bible one of the most widely printed and distributed texts in history, with printers refining typography, layout, chapter divisions, and verse numbering to improve usability for study and worship.

Description

Three red leather hardback books with gold embossed design along front and back covers, a red, and a green box on the spine, gold embossed lettering and designs on the spine, and gold fore edge designs. All three have scuffs and fading to the leather over the covers and spines. Vol 1 has three spots on the front cover where the leather has faded to white. Vol 2 has a tear in the leather on the back cover in the lower right hand corner about three inches long. Vol 3, the New Testament, has an especially worn down spot on the back cover in the top right corner and a white scuff on the front cover. Interiors are in excellent condition with many silver plate etchings throughout.

Dimensions: 10 x 6 1/2 x 2 inches