Old Bible

Eyers and Spottiswood had warehouses in London and Newyork. I know it's not the exact cover. I believe I may have an older edition. because there is a reference to HER magesty, not HIS magesty. Now I'll have to study the British monarchy.

I'll be back in a minute.

 

Shilo= A Place of Peace..Alex

 

The writer was English because he refers to 'our language',. and he appears to be very educated in languages:

 

There's a reference to the writings of Matthew Henry, so that may help us in determining the age.

Read you in the morning. Good night!

 

The "Her Majesty" reference would date your book to pre-1901. (1901 was the year of Edward VII's accession to the throne when the firm was reappointed as King's Printer.)

Before you spend a lot of time on this, are you sure your volume doesn't carry a publication date? It would likely appear on one of the front pages or end pages in Roman numerals.

And, as to dating, in 1864 the firm had the warehouses at the following addresses: 1) 43, Fleet Street, London 2) 16, Elder Street, Edinburgh 3) 626, Broadway, New York. In 1870 the New York warehouse was at Cooper Union on Fourth Avenue.

So your volume can't be later than 1901. With a little bit of internet research you should be able to determine when between 1864 and 1870 the New York warehouse relocated. That will give you your earliest date.

Debora

 

I'll have another look today. It's not here next to my computer. Everytime I want to touch it I go into my room, lay it gently on my bed and take a photo of interesting pages. I'm so careful with this fragile thing!

I began to use an online antiques expert after I found that similar photo with a different cover, but when they were ready to answer you have to use PayPal to pay them $5. My PayPal account has an old Visa linked and I had problems trying to update it, so I just exited the page and went to bed.

 

Great idea !
We should start charging.....

 

It was printed in London. Eyers and Spottiswood was a London warehouse that expanded to New York.

 

Two more photos:
THE SPINE

 

And printed on page behind cover over the writers words:
.
It looks like a stamp because it's not exactly parallel.

 

If this turns out to be anything, someone will have to buy it from me because it was an heirloom and I'll give a donation here.

There's no one in my family to pass it down to.

 

I am reading the written text to look for clues as to who may have written them, and I notice the name JEHOVAH appears in the margins when it doesn't in the books verses.

 

Then I researched the history of Jehovah's Witnesses as learn this:

'Jehovah's Witnesses originated in the U.S. in the 1870s. Missionaries were sent to England in 1881 and the first branch opened in London in 1900. This group was called 'International Bible Students Association'.

The missionaries being sent in 1881, was too late if these notes were written in the 'seventies of the last century'. Maybe they WERE written in 1881 and not the 70s.

 

This appears to be the Bible version written on, but not the same edition because the cover is slightly different. The one used had wide margins for scholars to write notes.
THE HOLY BIBLE CONTAINING THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS by Bible - Fourth Edition; First Printing - 1846 - from Rare Book Cellar (SKU: 141628) (biblio.com.au)

 

So where do I go from here? Who do I show this to?

 

Jehova is a name for god, I doubt this bible has a connection to Jehovas whitnesses.
As many others have said before, your bible is one of many printings from the 1870 to the 1890s. The paper seems to be very fragile or crumbling (ie the title page) that is typical for paper made from wood when it ages. The older paper made from rags is much more durable. Wood pulp paper was first used to print newspaper in the 1850s and was used for books from the 1870s onward. Those bibles were printed in huge numbers and thus even in good condition they are almost worthless today. Its not uncommon to find annotations like in your bible and if you cant find proof that they are written by someone still known today they are of no value.

 

i KNOW This Bible is one of the many versions of the Eyer and Spottiswood Bibles that appear on Ebay, but this is not the same version as any of the ones currently there. This one wasn't made to be read in church or at home. It has extra wide margins for the notes of researchers....AND IT IS NOT A FAMILY BIBLE!

 

Tis one has the writings of a language expert all over it and was stamped at the Stationers Hall, so someone was seeking the copyright of something.
Perhaps they were seeking the copyright of a new version and it was proof that they studied.

I want to show it to someone who is studying this or wants to study.

 

I am a pensioner....an Invalid Pensioner. As soon as I can afford it I will get the assistance of an antique expert. I was hoping to get advice as to the expert to consult.