EXQUISITE Large Clasped HOLY BIBLE : Sculpted Boards : 16.4kg : 5.5 Inches Thick

The Self Interpreting Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments
Together with the Apocrypha, Concordance and Marginal References Conformable to the Standard of the American Bible Society

By the Rev. John Brown (Haddington, Scotland)

With Numerous Notes by the Rev. Henry Cooke

New York; American Publishing Company, undated, c1880. Large thick bible measuring 13 x 10 inches and 5.5 inches thick, and weighs in at whopping 16.4kg. Thick bevel-edged sculpted boards with gilt decoration and two fastening clasps (in working order). Gilt to all page edges. Chromo presentation page, illuminated frontispiece, illustrated title page plus a letterpress title page. With 1380 pages, plus 22, 61, 23. With 2 photograph insert pages at the rear of the book for family portrait photographs. Profusely illustrated with colour plates, b&w plates and numerous engravings within text.

CONDITION
In excellent condition. The binding is very good with no repairs and the gilt decoration remains bright. No cracking to hinges and binding tight and sqaure and with all contents present. Pages in very good clean condition throughout. No previous ownership marks. Overall a fine example a late Victorian bible in an exquisite binding.

John Brown of Haddington (1722 – 19 June 1787), was a Scottish divine and author of uncommon popularity. A small tribute to his popularity is that he is the “Brown” mentioned in Robert Burns’ "Epistle to James Tennant". His name is dropped in so casual a manner that it is clear Burns assumed everyone would know who he was talking about.

The Self Interpreting Bible was Brown's most significant work, and it remained in print well into the twentieth century. The objective of providing a commentary for ordinary people was very successful. The idea that the Bible was "self-interpreting" involved copious marginal references, especially comparing one scriptural statement with another. Brown also provided a substantial introduction to the Bible, and added an explication and "reflections" for each chapter.