Pocket Holy Bible 1776

$1,450.00
By Moons Rare Books

6B Holy Bible in Pocket Size. London: J. W. Pasham, 1776

Notes

The printing history of the Bible began in the 1450s in Mainz, Germany, when Johannes Gutenberg used movable metal type to produce his 42-Line Latin Vulgate. This mechanical milestone ended the reliance on hand-copied monastic manuscripts and rapidly accelerated book production across Europe. The Bible quickly became a catalyst for linguistic shifts as scholars moved away from Latin to produce vernacular translations, most notably Martin Luther’s German Bible (1522) and William Tyndale's English New Testament (1526). The English text reached a major stabilization point in 1611 with the publication of the King James Version by Royal Printer Robert Barker. By the 19th century, technological advancements in steam-powered presses, stereotyping, and industrial papermaking allowed international Bible societies to transition the scriptures from a scarce luxury item into the most mass-produced book in global publishing history.

This pocket-sized edition was printed in 1776 in London, a period when producing a complete Old and New Testament in a miniature format was a major technical and logistical feat. During the late 18th century, Bible production in Britain was strictly regulated by a royal monopoly, but this unique 12mo volume was manufactured by the established independent printer J.W. Pasham. To legally bypass the strict Crown printing patents held exclusively by the King's Printers, Pasham cleverly published the holy text with brief, metric notes positioned at the very foot of each page. This allowed the book to be technically categorized as a commentary rather than a standard Bible, utilizing an incredibly small, fragile metal type and thin paper to collapse the massive text block into a truly handheld volume.

This specific printing run also carries a fascinating historical coincidence for collectors; it was manufactured in London at the exact same time the American colonies were declaring their independence across the Atlantic. As the Revolutionary War broke out and the British trade embargo went into effect, these authorized London shipments were suddenly cut off, creating a severe shortage of Bibles in the new country.

Description 

Black leather covered boards with debossed borders to covers and gilt lettering to spine. Few instances of foxing throughout. Blue pen marks on single leaf of Isaiah Ch 58-59. Marbled endpapers. Lovely inscription to second flyleaf. Two ownership inscriptions to the page facing the title page and one on the title page. Fully intact. Sound binding. Very good condition.
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