Beschreibung:

The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments: Translated out of the Original Tongues and with the former Translations diligently compared and revised by His Majesty's special Command. Appointed to be read in Churches. Oxford University Press, 1935. Two volumes, large folio (13.1 x 18.25 in.), maroon laminated buckram. Number 181 of 200 copies. Designed by Bruce Rogers On verso of half-title: Humphrey Milford / London New York Toronto / Melbourne. Previous owner's name engraved on limitation page, with illuminated gilt initials. This Bible, although printed in England to commemorate Canadian soldiers who died in WWI, was designed by American Bruce Rogers who was working at the Oxford University Press. From Rogers' booklet An Account of the making of the Oxford Lectern Bible, he notes: "...for the size of the leaf, I now learned for the first time, must not exceed the standard dimensions of the folio Bibles used on the brass lecterns of most English churches - and this size was 12 x 16 inches. ...So I proposed to Mr. Milford that he have fifty copies printed for me on larger paper, preferably a hand-made, to which he readily agreed; and eventually two hundred copies were printed on Batchelor's paper in this form in addition to the printing of 1000 copies on the smaller paper made at the Wolvercote mill." In another insert in the booklet he notes that this was divided into two volumes because of the inconvenient size, and duplicate title pages and half-titles are included. (One more special volume on 14 x 19.25 in. sheets was printed for the Library of Congress.) The Oxford Lectern Bible is recognized as one of the great Bibles today, and possibly the best of the 20th century. Yet it was produced with modern printing methods. It is unornamented, clean, and Mr. Rogers used his own easily read Centaur type and clear double-column page layout. Because it was assumed that these would be rebound by the purchasers, they are found in many different bindings today. Some have subsequently been combined into one volume. Some were apparently even issued unbound and uncut, to ease the job of the binder. Other copies in these buckram boards have appeared on the market over the years. Provenance: Former Property of the Collections of Arthur Andersen, of Arthur Andersen LLP, Chicago, IL Condition: Slight toning of endpapers from adhesive; little bits of toning on untrimmed edges of leaves. Most of leaves are clean and crisp. Slight wear to upper front hinge. Minor scuffing of rear board of vol. II.