Beschreibung:

BIBLE, IN GERMAN. Nuremberg: Anton Koberger 17 February 1483. Two volumes. Royal 2° (403x277mm). Collation: [1 4 2-4 8 5 6 6-37 8 39 6 ] (1/1r letter of Jerome to Paulinus, 1/4r prologue to the Pentateuch, 2/1r Genesis-Psalms, 39/6 blank); [40-73 8 74-76 6 ] (40/1 blank, 40/2r letter of Jerome on Proverbs, Proverbs-Maccabees, New Testament, 76/6 blank). 586 leaves (bifolia 11/3.6 and 4.5 reversed in binding). 50 lines and headline, double column. Type: 10:120G (text), 11:162G (headings and headlines). 109 woodcuts from 108 blocks, all hand-coloured in blue, green, orange, yellow, brown or maroon, the first (creation of Eve) also with gold leaf, 5- to 8-line initials on 1/1r, 2/1r and 40/2r in gold and colours with extensions, other 3- to 7-line initials and paragraph marks in red, early quiring (red in vol.II, as in Schäfer (no.52) and Breslauer copies) visible in many lower corners, the illumination and decoration most probably Nuremberg work from the Koberger shop. (Some worming, mainly in first and final few quires of both volumes, affecting some letters, scattered light marginal dampstains, narrow section cut from upper margin of 1/1, small marginal hole in 2/1 and tiny section cut from 40/1 slightly affecting decoration, 1/1.4 rehinged.) Contemporary calf over bevelled wooden boards, blindstamped, spines rebacked in 17th-century blindstamped pigskin, two brass fore-edge clasps, title written on spines, modern pastedowns, leather tabs (some calf missing, repaired, back board of vol.I cracked and repaired, missing corner pieces), probably an Augsburg binding, Kyriss shop 81 (stamps 4, 6, and Schwenke-Sammlung Ranke 94). Provenance : Augsburg, 17th-century inscription erased from both volumes, Bibliothecae S. Georgii Augustae , some marginal annotations in a 16-17th century hand). Ninth edition of the Bible in German. The succeeding five editions of the German Bible depend textually on this Koberger edition and the woodcuts much influenced later Bible illustrations, including those by Dürer for Koberger's Apocalypse printed in 1498. This book demonstrates the wide scope of Koberger's business, including planning, production, marketing and distribution. As a text it fits neatly into a trio of German editions, complementing the Bibles in two Low German dialects printed at Cologne in 1478/9, with which Koberger had been involved. His involvement with them extended to his gaining possession of the woodcuts used there, 108 of which he used for this 1483 Bible; the woodcuts were the work of the "Master of the Cologne Bibles", and were possibly based on drawings in a Netherlandish manuscript (Berlin, Ms.germ.fol.516). Koberger had cut two new German types for his Bible and is said to have run 24 presses to print it. The edition of between 1000 and 1500 copies was available in three forms: completely uncoloured, rubricated and coloured simply in green, ochre and purple, or rubricated and coloured in a wide variety of colours and gold leaf. The present copy, with its gold and colouring, belongs to the last de-luxe category. (See H. Wendland, "Eine fünfhundertjährige Inkunabel - Anton Kobergers deutsche Bibel", Philobiblon , 28, 1984, pp.30-37.) FINE CONDITION. Davies Murray German (63) and M. Breslauer, cat. 104, II, nr.128 describe copies with 6 leaves in the first quire, bifolium 1.6 being blank. H *3137; GW 4303; BMC II, 424 (C.11.d.4,5); Goff B-632; Pellechet 2375; Schreiber 3461; Schramm XVII p.8; IDL 871; IGI 1713; BSB B-490 (2)