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[Church of Scotland].
[Two fine Scottish Herringbone bindings]. The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments. Newly Translated out of the Original Tongues: and with the former translations Diligently Compared and Revised. [Bound with:] The Psalms of David in Metre. Newly Translated, and diligently Compared with the Original Text, and former Translations.
Publisher: Printed by James Watson, One of His Majesty’s Printers, Edinburgh;
Date of Publication: 1716
Stock Code: 14942
Two imprints in two volumes, the Bible divided across both volumes and signed continuously, the Psalms bound to end of volume two and signed independently. Duodecimo, n. p., sig., A-Y¹² Z1-2; Z3-12 2A-2S¹² 2T¹⁰ A-C¹². The New Testament has a letterpress title-page. This copy lacks the two engraved title-pages to the Old and New Testaments reported by some institutional cataloguers, otherwise complete. We locate both one volume and two volume copies in institutional libraries, and copies with and without the Psalms. Both volumes bound in near-uniform black full morocco Scottish herringbone bindings. Volume one on four raised bands, star and thistle ornaments within triple fillets to compartments; central herringbone panel in star, thistle, and wheel design within fleur-de-lis and pyramid roll borders to boards; pyramid rolls to turn-ins; marbled end-papers; all edges gilt; olive-green silk place-marker mounted to headband. Volume two on four raised bands; gilt floral tooling within triple fillets to compartments; thistle, star, and wheel herringbone panel surrounded by thistles, stars, and fleur-de-lis within fillet and pyramid roll border; floral rolls to board edges and turn-ins; marbled end-papers. Elaborate calligraphic bookplate in black, green, and red ink of Sarah McKie ‘written at Edinburgh the XIIIth August 1735’ to front free end-paper of volume one; pencil ownership inscription of one ‘J. S. Muir 1888’ to verso. Neat ownership inscription of one ‘Stewart’ dated December 5 1721 to front free end-paper of volume two. Later pencil annotation to foot of volume one, T8v. Corners bumped, slight rubbing to joints of raised bands on volume one, shelf-wear to edges of boards but bindings otherwise bright, neat, and very solid. A few spots of occasional toning to contents of both volumes, text-blocks very occasionally frayed and nicked to edges; one end-leaf of volume one repaired sympathetically with like paper; slight loss to corner of C1, affecting catchword only, loss to corner of A2, A5 of Psalms, affecting text; spots of ink to N1 of Bible, ink stains to title-page, B1v, B2r of Psalms; 2R gathering of Bible and B, C gatherings of Psalms cut close to fore-edge, affecting text. Contents used but serviceable, bindings both well-preserved examples. A curious pair of volumes, bound in very similar herringbone style, perhaps even from the same workshop, but with no tools in common. The division of the volumes midway through the Psalms at Z2 is such an unusual choice, which appears to differ from institutional copies in two volumes, that this bookseller concludes they must be intended as a pair. Herringbone bindings were the dominant form of decorative binding in early eighteenth-century Scotland, evolving from late-seventeenth century panel bindings. The thistle and pyramid tools on display here are peculiarly Scottish features. An excellent example of fine Scottish binding of the early eighteenth-century. £2000.00