The Geneva aka Breeches Bible - The Thomas Fell Copy

The Geneva aka Breeches Bible - The Thomas Fell Copy. This bible consists of three parts: 1 - The Bible, translated according to the Ebrew and Greeke 2 - The New Testament of our Lord Jesvs Christ; 3 - Two right profitable and fruitful Concordances, or large and ample Tables Alphabeticall; all Imprinted at London by Robert Barker, Printer to the Kings most Excellent Maiestie, 1606. The text throughout is double column and red-lined. Completely legible, including the controversial annotations in the margins. The only flaw is on the title page of part 1 - The Bible - where the top right-hand corner, the figure of James, is missing. This page is now protected with Japanese tissue. Preceding the Bible, in the volume, is a Book of Common Prayer. When the book was acquired, the front cover was unattached and the title page for the book of Common Prayer was missing. According to a note, loosely inserted in the book, the Book of Common Prayer was dated 1556. The first leaf was folded over and corners missing. This leaf, the next two, and the following leaf, that is The Preface, are all now protected with Japanese tissue. The book of prayers was cropped in order to meet the size of the Bible. Following the Bible, is The Whole Booke of Psalmes, Imprinted for the Company of the Stationers, 1607. The leaf, pages 85 and 86 is missing. Pages 11 to 14 are missing about 20 percent of the text at the bottom. Notwithstanding the 1607 imprint on the front page, at the bottom of the last page it is stated - Imprinted at London for the Company of Stationers 1629. The original cover has been reattached to the original spine. The book has the original covers, including the metal clasps, and the majority of the original spine. Internally, weakened pages have been enclosed in Japanese tissue. New endpapers put in place. The book is very sound and square. The Geneva Bible, sometimes known by the sobriquet Breeches Bible, is one of the most historically significant translations of the Bible into English, preceding the King James Version by 51 years. The Geneva Bible acquired the sobriquet "Breeches Bible" because it describes Adam and Eve as having made "breeches" to cover their nakedness. It was the primary Bible of 16th-century English Protestantism. The first full edition of this Bible, which included a revised New Testament, appeared in 1560, but it was not printed in England until 1576. The annotations were disliked by James I, who commissioned the "Authorized Version", or King James Bible, in order to replace it. There is thus no question that this book is very important. What makes this particular copy extremely desirable that it was owned by a leading puritan in England from about 1630 until his death in 1658. Thomas Fell (1598-1658), was a lawyer, member of parliament and vice-chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He was admitted to Gray's Inn in 1623, called to the bar in 1631, and practised successfully for several years. In 1648, Oliver Cromwell named him a commissioner for the safety of the county. Fell was considered a leading puritan in the district of Furness. Why do we think this book belonged to Fell? The first indication, were the initials T F on the front and back covers of the volume. The volume has a free endpaper at the back of the book. Flimsy and a corner missing but there is a cursive signature Thomas Fell and underneath it is the cursive signature of John Fell followed by the word his. The rest of the message is missing but it can be surmised that it could read "his son". On the last page of the Bible, before The Whole Booke of Psalmes, are handwritten binding instructions. This on a page printed in 1629, that is consistent with Fell's age and call to the bar in 1631. This book was purchased from the son of a minister who was the District Secretary for the Canadian Bible Society, Newfoundland & Cape Breton Districts. A very important and scarce work in its original binding with a most interesting provenan