Folio Archives 133: Holkham Bible Limited Edition 2007
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1wcarter
The Holkham Bible Limited Edition 2007
I have fond memories of this book, as I purchased it on one of my visits to the (now defunct) Folio Society Members’ Room at Eagle St., when there were only eight copies left in stock.
It is an exact facsimile of an illustrated collection of Bible stories that was produced in England about 1350 as a guide for those who were illiterate – the majority of the population at this time. It was written in Norman French by an unknown Dominican friar, who used contemporary English dress and scenes in his illustrations. It is named after Holkham Hall, Norfolk, where the book resided before being transferred to its new home at the British Library.
The original book was printed on vellum, and the facsimile has been printed on heavy Swiss made Furioso paper which closely reproduces the feel and appearance of vellum.
Housed in a pattern printed Solander box (32.3x23.9cm.) are two volumes – am 84 page facsimile volume, and a 162 page commentary, which explains the history of the book with 8 pages of bound in colour plates, followed by a page-by-page explanation of the facsimile.
The facsimile (29.5x21.7cm.) is half bound in dark blue leather with leather corners and gilt blocked spine. The sides are buckram printed with a diaperwork pattern, and a leather front title label that is impressed and coloured. All page edges are gilded, and there is a blue ribbon page marker.
The commentary volume by Prof. Michelle P. Brown is bound in quarter buckram with paper sides and title label.
It is a limited edition of 1750 copies, my copy is number 1590, and it cost me £245 in the FS Members’ Room. A truly beautiful book to hold and behold.
Facsimile volume
Shows corner of one page missing from the original
Companion volume
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
I have fond memories of this book, as I purchased it on one of my visits to the (now defunct) Folio Society Members’ Room at Eagle St., when there were only eight copies left in stock.
It is an exact facsimile of an illustrated collection of Bible stories that was produced in England about 1350 as a guide for those who were illiterate – the majority of the population at this time. It was written in Norman French by an unknown Dominican friar, who used contemporary English dress and scenes in his illustrations. It is named after Holkham Hall, Norfolk, where the book resided before being transferred to its new home at the British Library.
The original book was printed on vellum, and the facsimile has been printed on heavy Swiss made Furioso paper which closely reproduces the feel and appearance of vellum.
Housed in a pattern printed Solander box (32.3x23.9cm.) are two volumes – am 84 page facsimile volume, and a 162 page commentary, which explains the history of the book with 8 pages of bound in colour plates, followed by a page-by-page explanation of the facsimile.
The facsimile (29.5x21.7cm.) is half bound in dark blue leather with leather corners and gilt blocked spine. The sides are buckram printed with a diaperwork pattern, and a leather front title label that is impressed and coloured. All page edges are gilded, and there is a blue ribbon page marker.
The commentary volume by Prof. Michelle P. Brown is bound in quarter buckram with paper sides and title label.
It is a limited edition of 1750 copies, my copy is number 1590, and it cost me £245 in the FS Members’ Room. A truly beautiful book to hold and behold.
Facsimile volume
Shows corner of one page missing from the original
Companion volume
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
2HuxleyTheCat
>1 wcarter: Have you been a bit liberal with the saturation slider there Warwick? If not, the density of printing in yours is rather different to mine. Irrespective of that, it's a lovely production, accessible to non-Latin scholars in a way which these facsimiles are, usually, not.
3joco30
>1 wcarter:
"It is an exact facsimile of an illustrated collection of Bible stories that was produced..."
I don't agree at all. As is the case with all the facsimiles of Folio, their bindings are completely different from the original, and parts of the edges of the pages are always cut off.
A rather large part in this Holkham Bible apparently.
Take for example following pages:
On the left page on top, only two horizontal lines are shown. In reality, there are three.
And on the right page, in the outer margin, there are three lines for which the last letter is only partly shown, and one line where the last letter is totally absent.
"It is an exact facsimile of an illustrated collection of Bible stories that was produced..."
I don't agree at all. As is the case with all the facsimiles of Folio, their bindings are completely different from the original, and parts of the edges of the pages are always cut off.
A rather large part in this Holkham Bible apparently.
Take for example following pages:
On the left page on top, only two horizontal lines are shown. In reality, there are three.
And on the right page, in the outer margin, there are three lines for which the last letter is only partly shown, and one line where the last letter is totally absent.
4boldface
The Folio edition is beautifully bound as you would expect and I love my copy. However, you can also get the exact same facsimile (with the commentary bound in) in the British Library's own edition, also published in 2007. This has a standard hardback binding and originally retailed for around £50, although second hand copies today go for double or more.
5kdweber
>4 boldface: Yes, the British Library edition is very nice. My copy cost $60 (new, including shipping). I was quite happy with it but passed it on when I managed to come across a used copy of the FS LE in fine condition for a really great price.
I've taken the same approach with The Getty Apocalypse where I've purchased the 2012 Getty Museum edition. I'll replace it if I every come across a really low priced FS LE in fine condition but that hasn't happened yet and I'm not holding my breath.
I've taken the same approach with The Getty Apocalypse where I've purchased the 2012 Getty Museum edition. I'll replace it if I every come across a really low priced FS LE in fine condition but that hasn't happened yet and I'm not holding my breath.
6Jayked
From JWB's Private Library monograph:
"The British Library normally published their own trade edition after an appropriate delay. These editions included some scholarly material in the prelims rather than in a separate volume, and were conventionally case-bound and jacketed, but the facsimile pages were identical to the Folio editions."
Quid pro quo, I guess.
"The British Library normally published their own trade edition after an appropriate delay. These editions included some scholarly material in the prelims rather than in a separate volume, and were conventionally case-bound and jacketed, but the facsimile pages were identical to the Folio editions."
Quid pro quo, I guess.
