Skip to content

Cart

Your cart is empty

Article: New In: Stunning 19th Century Family Bible

19th Century

New In: Stunning 19th Century Family Bible

New to our Colorado shop is this beautifully restored and exquisitely bound Holy Bible from 1882. This family bible was published by William Briggs, in Toronto, Canada. The bible contains both the Old and New Testaments, Cruden’s Complete Concordance, a comprehensive bible dictionary, apocrypha, psalms, a “concise history of all religious denominations,” and more.

This bible was produced as a family bible, to be handed down through a family with each successive generation. Family bibles were used as a marker of each married couple’s journey through life and the family’s history was commonly recorded in the bible. This bible features pages to record family births, deaths, and marriages. It also has a presentation page and a temperance page. The family pages of this bible are blank, and could still be filled in and used as originally intended by whoever purchases this bible. 

Presentation Page from 1882 Family Bible

Marriage Page from 1882 Family Bible

Family bibles, often very large and elaborately decorated, first came into popularity during the Victorian era in the United Kingdom. Afterwards, the family bible was seen throughout Europe and eventually made its way into North American households. 

This bible’s period binding is exquisite, with full black leather boards stamped, embossed, and engraved with intricate gilt details. The front and back boards are deeply carved, detailed in gilt, and filled with  tooling of flowers, leaves, and interlocking circles. 

Binding from 1882 Family Bible

In the late 19th century, to counter the popularity of cheaper, popular dime novels, several publishers sought to elevate the book back to a piece of artistry that would be cherished for generations to come. They used expensive leathers, gilt details, and elegant engraved illustrations to do so. These sumptuously bound special editions of bibles, encyclopedias, dictionaries, and poetry, like the Bible seen here, valued the book as a work of art in itself.

Stop by our shop at the Broadmoor to see this stunning Bible in person. Or shop it online!

Read more

Illustrator Edward Shenton - The Great Republic
20th Century

Illustrator Edward Shenton

Edward Shenton illustrated 152 books and their jackets for books published by Scribner’s. He worked with famed editor Maxwell Perkins to illustrate works by Thomas Wolf, William Faulkner, F. Scott ...

Read more
2023 Holiday Gift Guides: Gifts for the Explorer - The Great Republic
19th Century Books

2023 Holiday Gift Guides: Gifts for the Explorer

These hand-picked holidays gifts are perfect for the explorer in your life! Inspire them with the tales of intrepid explorers who have come before them, a gorgeous photography collection of the Ame...

Read more

Blog posts

Tracking Arizona’s Growth, from Territory to 48th State - The Great Republic

Tracking Arizona’s Growth, from Territory to 48th State

Arizona became the nation’s 48th state in 1912. Prior to its statehood, Arizona was a part of the Territory of New Mexico. It was then organized as a separate territory on February 24, 1863. Read m...

Read more
A George Washington Memorial Engraving, with an Interesting Publication History - The Great Republic
prints

A George Washington Memorial Engraving, with an Interesting Publication History

Published twice, both in times of collective mourning and reflection, John Donlevy's calligraphic memorial print of George Washington offered the public a means of remembrance, celebration, and con...

Read more
Fascinating Railway Maps of the 19th Century - The Great Republic
Antique Maps

Fascinating Railway Maps of the 19th Century

In the mid-1800s, railroads were transforming the landscape of North America, revolutionizing transportation, industry, and shifting populations seemingly overnight. Maps from this era reflect this...

Read more
Back to the top