The Holy Bible.

The grandest English gallery Bible. Macklin's sumptuous edition of the King James Bible 'Embellished with engravings, from pictures and designed by the most eminent English artists'. A lovely copy, with excellent provenance for the Kinnaird library, well-known for the superior condition of their collection.

One of the 'most ambitious editions produced in Britain, often pirated but never rivalled' (ODNB). This vast undertaking, dedicated to the King, was published in 70 parts, each at £1 1s. Macklin (1752-1800) issued his prospectus for the Bible in 1789; he commissioned new type, new paper, and the engravings after prominent contemporary artists including Fuseli, Reynolds, Kauffman, Hamilton, and West, promising a Bible that would be 'finished in a style of elegance (and magnificence in Paper, Printing, and Engraving) of which there is not in Europe or the world any example'. It took 11 years to complete, and the eventual cost of £30,000 almost bankrupted Macklin. Though the final engraving was finished five days before his death, the last of the vignettes was not completed for another six weeks, and he consequently never saw the finished work.

First edition; 6 vols; folio (48.5 x 40 cm); 68 engraved plates (of 70), numerous engraved vignettes, text printed in large type in double columns, armorial bookplate to front pastedown of each vol., slight offsetting to text-block, occasional spotting; contemporary blue straight-grained morocco, meander rules in gilt and blind to covers, gilt spines in 7 compartments, all edges gilt, pink endpapers, covers faded in places, corners slightly bumped, a pleasing example.

Herbert 1442; Darlow/Moule 982.