A very rare original subsciber's edition of Pennington's Edition of the Complete Family Bible, printed in a massive 16 inch folio by Lucas Pennington of York. It is a scarce and notable example of 18th-century hyper-illustrated provincial English publishing.
During the 18th century, the vast majority of English-language Bibles and large theological works were produced by established royal printers and university presses in London, Oxford, and Cambridge. Provincial printings of this magnitude from northern cities like York were far less common and typically published in small print runs, often funded through regional subscription models, as here, where local buyers financed the printing in advance.
Because these heavy folio Bibles were intended for active daily domestic use and genealogical bookkeeping, relatively few copies have survived complete with all their copperplate illustration leaves and subscription lists intact. Notably, the work was omitted from Darlow and Moule's historical catalog of English Bibles, further underscoring its scarcity on the secondary market.
The significance of this particular publication, apart from its general scarcity, lies in the presence of over 200 superbly executed copper-plate illustrations composed specifically for this edition. In terms of the sheer quantity and quality of the illustrations, the 18th century English press has almost no parallels. Often long-ago looted and pilfered for its images, examples with complete suites of illustrations are extremely difficult to locate.
Pennington's Edition of the Complete Family Bible, Containing the Old and New Testament. With Marginal Notes and Practical Observations. York. Printed by and for L. Pennington, in Coffee-Yard. 1789.
A good example of this scarce imprint. Original subscriber's copy, retaining the personalization label on the original reverse calf boards, respined at some point in its history. The text block generally very good and clean with some scattered toning. Title nearly detached and the textblock in general very tender. Certainly usable with care, but could use attention.
