A concordance, that is to saie, a worke wherein by the ordre of the letters of the A.B.C. ye maie redely finde any words conteigned in the whole Bible, so often as it is there expressed or mencioned.: First Bible Concordance In English
by John Merbek [Merbecke] [Marbeck]
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very Good
- Seller
-
Sequim, Washington, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
SUMMARY
London: Richard Grafton, 1550. Folio (11 x 7.5 in). The first edition of the first complete Bible concordance in English. Woodcut title page, initials, and printer's devices. Full page woodcut of Henry VIII on final leaf by Holbein (frequently lacking).
DESCRIPTION
Text in three column black letter font. Woodcut title page with portrait of King Henry VIII above title and printer s device below. Dedication to King Edward (3 pp.) with engraved woodcut initial. Introduction to the Reader (2 pp.) with engraved woodcut initial. A Table Expressing By Plaine Letters (1 pp.) and a full page woodcut of the printer s device (1 pp.). A blank leaf (A6). Text ends on colophon. A full page woodcut portrait of Henry VIII by his favorite artist Hans Holbein the younger, first published in 1548.
COLLATION
A^6, A-Z^6, Aa-Zz^6, Aaa-Vvv^6, Xxx^1. Lacks Bb4.
PROVENANCE
The signature of William Kythe appears on the final leaf. This is very likely William Kethe a Marian exile, scholar who translated the Geneva Bible, and musician who contributed with influential verse translations of the Psalms.
BINDING
Bound in a contemporary dark sheep and recently re-backed. Blind paneled covers with faded gilt ornaments to corners. Spine with five raised bands and a red gilt lined label with the words : "A Concordace, J. Marbeck. "
CONDITION
Pages are quite crisp and clean with minimal staining. Wide margins. Minor staining to title page. Tiny worm hole to tail of first and last few leaves. Small tear in Ii3. Ppp3 Vvv6 shows damage to foot of gutter which has been reinforced and repaired at corners. Bookplate of collector Robert J. Hayhurst. Sheep on covers is beginning to delaminate.
NOTE
John Marbeck (or Merbecke) was a musician at St. George s Chapel at Windsor Castle for over 50 years. In addition to his many musical accomplishments, Marbeck had a keen interest in theology. He was unable to afford a printed English Bible and thus created a manuscript copy of his own by hand. He also began work on a Biblical concordance during a time when King Henry had just passed The Act of Six Articles, reasserting traditional Catholic doctrine. His house was searched, books and manuscripts were found, and his nearly completed work of the concordance was taken and now placed his very life in jeopardy. He was sentenced to death in 1543 but received a royal pardon, enabling him to return to St. George chapel and begin his work anew. He completed the first concordance of the whole Bible in 1550, though this printed version is somewhat abbreviated to conserve paper.
REFERENCES
STC 17300, ESTC S114449.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Dungeness Books (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- N42
- Title
- A concordance, that is to saie, a worke wherein by the ordre of the letters of the A.B.C. ye maie redely finde any words conteigned in the whole Bible, so often as it is there expressed or mencioned.
- Author
- John Merbek [Merbecke] [Marbeck]
- Format/Binding
- Contemporary Sheep
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Richard Grafton
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 1550
- Size
- Folio
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
- Keywords
- Bible, Bible Concordance, First Concordance in English, John Marbeck, John Merbecke, William Kethe, William Kythe, 1550 Bible, First Concordance in English
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- Theology;
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Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
- Folio
- A folio usually indicates a large book size of 15" in height or larger when used in the context of a book description. Further,...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Raised Band(s)
- Raised bands refer to the ridges that protrude slightly from the spine on leather bound books. The bands are created in the...
- Gutter
- The inside margin of a book, connecting the pages to the joints near the binding.
- Device
- Especially for older books, a printer's device refers to an identifying mark, also sometimes called a printer's mark, on the...
- Re-backed
- Describes a book that has had the material covering the spine replaced or joints mended.
- Crisp
- A term often used to indicate a book's new-like condition. Indicates that the hinges are not loosened. A book described as crisp...
- Tail
- The heel of the spine.
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
- Colophon
- The colophon contains information about a book's publisher, the typesetting, printer, and possibly even includes a printer's...
- Leaves
- Very generally, "leaves" refers to the pages of a book, as in the common phrase, "loose-leaf pages." A leaf is a single sheet...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
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