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BIBLES

  • The University Library's collection also includes Bibles which have autographs of well-known historical figures such as John Witherspoon (President, College of New Jersey, 1768-1794), Jonathan Edwards, and James Madison.

    For particulars about illustrated Bibles in the collections see: Five Themes from Genesis (Library exhibition Jan.-Mar. 1972) [(Ex) ND2890.P7 and (F) ND 2890.P7] The individual items making up these materials relating to the Bible are scattered throughout the General Rare Book Collection and other collections in the Library.

    See: The Bible through the Ages: An Exhibition of Books and Manuscripts, including 3rd Century Papyri, Leaves from the Gutenberg Bible, Famous English Bibles and Modern Translations based on holdings of the Library and the Seminary and shown at Firestone, December, 1950 - January, 1951. [(ExB) 0639.739 no. 7] [full text].

  • The Scheide Library is the only library outside Europe to include all 18 of the pre-Luther German Bible editions, the earliest of which is the edition printed by Johan Mentelin in Strasbourg [before 27 June 1466]. Besides these pre-Luther vernacular Bibles, the Scheide Library also contains the first editions of Martin Luther's New Testament (Wittenberg, September 1522) with woodcuts from the workshop of Lucas Cranach, three volumes of the Old Testament (1523-24), the Prophets (1532), and the first complete edition (1534).

    It also has the first Dutch Bible text, the Old Testament (Delft. Jacob van der Meer and Mauricius Yemantszoen, Jan. 1477.) as well as 4 (the largest collection in America) of the 11 editions of the Italian Bible printed in the 15th century.

    Also notable is their copy of the first French New Testament (Lyons, printed by Guillaume LeRoy, 1476.)

    Details are to be found in: Paul Needham, "Incunabula, Bibles and Early Americana in the Scheide Library" in the Chronicle XXXVII, 2 (Winter, 1976) pp. 85-93 [ full text] .

    The article by Needham also describes many other "firsts" in Bible printing, Czech, Spanish, Scandinavian, English, etc. In addition to the Needham article see also: Mina R. Bryan, "The Scheide Library" in the Book Collector vol. 21, no. 4 (Winter, 1972) p. 495 ff.

    Also see the handlist of exhibits and annoucement for the Spring 2004 exhibiton "The Bible in English: Before and After the Hampton Court Conference, 1604."

    For particulars refer to: Mina R. Bryan and Howard C. Rice, Jr. The Gutenberg Bible. Exhibition of the Scheide Copy. Catalogue of the Exhibition Held in the Princeton University Library. Princeton, 1960 [(ExB) 0639.739 no. 30]. [full text]. Besides the Gutenberg Bible itself, the exhibition displayed some 50 other items tracing the history of the Scheide copy, the fame of the Gutenberg, and printing in the age of Gutenberg describing the movable moulded type, the development from manuscript to printed page, and the spread of printing after Gutenberg. Also see: Book of Books: The English Bible and Its Antecedents; An Exhibition. (Princeton, New Jersey, 1963) 7 pp.

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