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About Antique Bibles
As the most widely read book in Western civilization, the Bible offers a variety of collecting possibilities. Many collectors pursue specific themes, including very old Bibles, family Bibles containing family trees, maps, or notes, and interesting translations.
The first complete English translation of the New Testament was published in 1526 by William Tyndale. In England, it was considered heresy and copies were destroyed. It wasn't until 1535 that the entire Bible - both Old and New Testaments - was published in English...
There are many different versions of the bible, depending on both the translator and the religious beliefs of the monarchy at the time it was published. The most collectible Bibles are those printed in Europe before 1700.
The first Bible to be published in America was the Eliot Bible, printed for the Natick Native American tribe in their own language in 1663. The first English-language Bible printed in America (a King James version) was published in 1782.
The King James Bible was first published in 1611, and in the late 1800s, the English Revised Version became the first Bible to gain popularity since the King James version. Also in the late 1800s, Bibles began to omit the 14 Apocryphal books (whereas previously all Bibles had 80 books, now they only contained 66).
Various factors influence the collectibility of Bibles; for example, first editions (first to be published in a specific language, first to be printed in a specific location, etc.), or copies signed by an important person.
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Upcoming Events
- Old Testament Imagery in Medieval Christian Manuscripts
Jun 1–Aug 8. Los Angeles, CA. - The Bible Illuminated: R. Crumb's Book of Genesis
Jun 12–Sep 19. Portland, OR. - The Dead Sea Scrolls
Mar 12–Oct 24. St Paul, MN.
Interviews & Articles
Bible Boxes Were Also Desks
"I must write rudely," stated Thomas Dudley of Massachusetts Bay colony in a letter to the Countess of Lincoln in t… [more]
An Interview with Rare Book Collector and Appraiser Ken Sanders
I don’t remember a time when I didn’t read books. In grade school, I devoured library books. I also loved comic boo… [more]
An Interview on First Editions with Vintage Book Appraiser Matthew Haley
Strictly speaking, a book’s edition refers to the setting of the text. So the first time you set the text and print… [more]
An Interview With American Cookbook Expert and Rare Book Curator Peter Berg
Special collections is where we keep non-circulating rare materials which have to be used in the reading room. Our … [more]
An Interview With Children’s Book Curator Rita Smith
I started working as the curator of the Baldwin Library of Historical Children's Literature in 1994, but I’d worked… [more]
Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)
The Schoyen Collection
The Schøyen Collection is an extensive pool of manuscripts dating from 3300 BC to the 19th century. Of particular … [read review or visit site]
Google Book Search
Want to do one quick search and pull up the mother lode of vintage books? Try Google Book Search, a database filled… [read review or visit site]
Baldwin Library of Childrens Literature
If you’re interested in collectible childrens books, check out this special digital collection from the Universit… [read review or visit site]
Feeding America
This archive of 76 influential American cookbooks from the late 1700s to early 1900s, assembled by the Michigan St… [read review or visit site]
Gallery of Book Trade Labels
Greg Kindall's collection of over 2100 colorful and historic book labels, pasted into books by publishers, printers… [read review or visit site]
Vintage Kids' Books My Kid Loves
This great blog, by an anonymous mom in Texas, is an ongoing bibliography of hundreds of vintage childrens books, c… [read review or visit site]
Vintage Cookbooks Photo Pool
This Flickr photo pool features over 2,000 photos and scans of vintage cookbooks and old recipes from the 1940s to … [read review or visit site]
Rare Karate Book Collection
This visually interesting and highly specialized collection from the Hawaii Karate Museum focuses on rare and histo… [read review or visit site]
Czech Book Covers
This Smithsonian microsite showcases Czech avant-garde book cover designs from the 1920s and 30s, complete with hig… [read review or visit site]
Bookscans.com
Bruce Black's gallery of paperback book covers from the 1940s and 50s. With help from numerous contributors, he's a… [read review or visit site]
Got a site to suggest? Let us know.
Clubs & Associations: Books
- Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America
- Bibliographical Society of America
- American Society of Bookplate Collectors
- The Bookplate Society
Other Great Reference Sites: Books
- Childrens Books Online: The Rosetta Project
- Bookmark of The Week
- Pop-up and Movable Books: A Tour
- BibliOdyssey Blog
- Stanford Dime Novel and Story Paper Collection
- Bookmark Collector
- Ramseyer-Northern Bible Society Collection
- War of the Worlds Cover Collection
Are we missing one? Tell us.
