Containing the Old and New Testaments; with a Copious and Original Selection of References to Parallel and Illustrative Passages
London: Printed for Samuel Bagster, 1833
An attractive and highly interesting early 19th-century Bagster Polyglott Bible, bound in dark leather with gilt spine title, gilt page edges and two substantial metal clasps.
The title pages to both the Old and New Testaments are dated 1833. The printed title describes the work as containing a “copious and original selection of references to parallel and illustrative passages, exhibited in a manner hitherto unattempted.”
This is the Authorised or King James Version, presented using Bagster's unusually extensive system of biblical cross-references. Samuel Bagster (1772–1851) became particularly celebrated for his compact scholarly Bibles and polyglot editions. Contemporary bibliographical records confirm this 1833 Bagster publication.
What makes this example especially appealing is the presence throughout the volume of interleaved blank writing leaves, while many remain blank many others contain handwritten biblical notes, cross-references and observations.
Some leaves contain only a short reference or comment, while others have been filled with remarkably detailed manuscript notes in a small, neat hand. The annotations appear to represent the serious personal study of a former owner and include scriptural cross-references, explanatory observations and comments on individual passages. There is also an ownership/presentation inscription dated 20 February 1902.
Bound in dark brown/black textured leather with:
The clasps are especially striking. Their surfaces have considerable age-related tarnishing and loss of finish but they remain an attractive feature of the binding.
Old Testament: 585 pages
New Testament: 188 pages
plus preliminary/reference material and numerous interleaved writing leaves.
The New Testament has its own 1833 title page:
The New Testament of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; with a Copious and Original Selection of References to Parallel and Illustrative Passages.
The 585-page Old Testament and 188-page New Testament collation is consistent with other recorded Bagster Polyglott Bibles of this period.
Dimensions: approx. 172 × 116 × 55 mm
Weight: approx. 867 g
A genuine 193-year-old Bible, showing expected signs of prolonged use and age.
The leather binding remains attractive overall, with rubbing, scuffing and wear to the extremities, particularly the corners and spine ends. There is some loss of surface/finish and general age-related marking. The metal clasps show substantial tarnishing, rubbing and loss of their original finish.
The gilt page edges remain clearly visible but have rubbing, scratching and unevenness consistent with use.
Internally there is age toning, occasional spotting and marking. The interleaved writing leaves vary in condition and contain many manuscript annotations, as described above.
There is significant loss/tearing to one of the preliminary/endpaper leaves, clearly photographed. The endpapers and preliminary leaves show further age-related wear and staining.
The text itself appears generally well preserved and legible.
Please study all photographs carefully as they form an important part of the condition description.
Samuel Bagster (1772–1851) was a London publisher particularly associated with innovative editions of the Bible. His firm became renowned for compact Bibles, reference Bibles and ambitious polyglot editions intended to facilitate comparison between biblical texts and languages. Bibliographical sources record Bagster's English Version of the Polyglott Bible in numerous editions during the first half of the nineteenth century.
A fascinating combination of an 1833 King James Bible, early Victorian-era Bible scholarship, distinctive period binding and intriguing evidence of personal biblical study.
An excellent item for a collector of early English Bibles, Bagster publications, Christian history or manuscript religious material.
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