Holy Bible 1896 British Foreign Bible Society Cambridge Provenance
 
Title & Bibliographic Details
The Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments: Translated Out of the Original Tongues: and with the Former Translations Diligently Compared and Revised, by His Majesty's Special Command. Appointed to be Read in Churches. Cum Privilegio.
London: The British and Foreign Bible Society, 146 Queen Victoria Street, 1896.
Printed at the Cambridge University Press.
Small Pica 8vo. 1,260 pages, complete and checked.
This is an 1896 printing, with the date on the title page.
 
Historical & Bibliographic Context
This substantial Victorian Bible was issued by the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS), founded in 1804 to promote the circulation of the Scriptures without note or comment, making Bibles available in languages people could understand and at prices they could afford. The Society became one of the major forces behind nineteenth-century Bible distribution. Its library now forms an important historical collection at Cambridge University Library. 
The Society's London headquarters were at 146 Queen Victoria Street, the address printed here. Contemporary descriptions state that the Society's object was the wider circulation of the authorised Scriptures. 
The Bible was printed at the Cambridge University Press, reflecting the long-established relationship between Cambridge printing and the BFBS. Cambridge's history of Bible production is closely connected with the technological development that enabled large quantities of Scripture to be produced and distributed during the nineteenth century. 
 
Provenance
The most important feature of this particular copy is the contemporary handwritten presentation inscription on the reverse of the front free endpaper:
“Elizabeth A Steans. The Gift of the Wesleyan Sunday School Saltby. May 17th 1897”
This records the Bible being presented to Elizabeth A. Steans by the Wesleyan Sunday School at Saltby, Leicestershire, on 17 May 1897, only a year after its publication.
Research suggests that the recipient was very probably Elizabeth Ann Steans of Saltby, born there on 10 October 1881. Later records associated with the name place her in the Melton Mowbray area, where she worked in domestic service and subsequently as a housekeeper. The records indicate that she remained unmarried and died in 1961, aged 79.
The identification cannot be proved conclusively from the surviving records, so Literary Treasures should describe it as probable rather than certain. The matching full first name, initial, Saltby connection and chronology nevertheless make the identification particularly compelling.
The inscription gives this otherwise anonymous Victorian Bible a tangible connection to a particular woman, a Leicestershire village and Victorian Wesleyan Sunday School culture.
The volume also retains pressed petals between pp. 212 and 213, together with some loose blank note paper, providing further evidence of personal use.
 
Binding & Exterior Condition
Original black cloth over boards, with decorative blind-stamped borders and criss-cross tooling to the boards. The upper board bears a circular BFBS emblem incorporating the words “British and Foreign Bible Society” and “Holy Bible”. The spine has gilt lettering reading “Holy Bible”.
The binding remains intact and robust, with light cosmetic wear including marks, soft bumping and rubbing to the corners, small patches of rubbing, a couple of very small holes and some creasing to the spine.
 
Interior Condition
The book is complete, with all 1,260 pages present and checked.
The paper is lightly toned and generally neat, with occasional small marks, light foxing and a few areas of darker tanning. The pages are predominantly uncreased, with occasional minor corner folds and small edge tears.
There are several areas of more substantial edge damage. Pages 363–384 have tears at the upper edge, extending slightly into the printed area in places. Pages 677–686 have tears at the lower edge, again extending slightly into the text, while pp. 731–736 have smaller tears at the upper edge. Representative examples are shown in the photographs.
The sewing and text block are secure overall, with only very light partial gutter cracking between the front pastedown and front free endpaper.
 
Physical Details
Pagination: 1,260 pages
Format: Small Pica 8vo
Dimensions: approximately 23.3 × 15.8 × 5 cm – Large Victorian format
Weight: approximately 1,348 g
Binding: Original black cloth with blind-stamped decoration and gilt spine lettering
Dust Jacket: None