The Holy Bible

Original silver 'furniture'. The King James Version, splendidly preserved in the original black morocco gilt binding furnished in silver. A handsome copy, bound with the Book of Common Prayer (1701), and Whole Book of Psalms (1699).

Binding 'furniture' originally served a functional purpose, with bosses and cornerpieces helping to protect the covers from wear and tear, and clasps employed to prevent the parchment leaves of manuscript books from warping. The advent of paper and the movement away from wood to pasteboard had largely made these features redundant by the end of the seventeenth century. Instead, as here, metalwork survived as a decorative feature which enhanced the binding of important devotional works, whilst also helping to keep these texts, which were more likely to be carried about, secure.

Three works bound as 1; 8vo (200 x 130 mm); engraved general title, ownership inscription in pen to front free endpaper recto, minor repairs to Common Prayer title, occasional slight browning; contemporary gilt-tooled black morocco, original engraved silver bosses, cornerpieces, and remains of fastenings, gilt spine in 6 compartments, all edges gilt, minor restoration to spine ends, with small portion of gilt decoration renewed to lower spine panel, very good.

Herbert 852.