KING JAMES BIBLE. THE HOLY BIBLE.FIRST ROYAL QUARTO EDITION. Two volumes bound into three with

FIRST ROYAL QUARTO EDITION. Two volumes bound into three with separate title page for the New Testament. The Apocrypha bound after the N.T in the third volume.

Cambridge: Printed By Joseph Bentham, Printer to the University; Sold By Benjamin Dod, Bookseller, at the Bible and Key in Ave-Mary Lane, near St. Paul's, London.

This copy, measuring 304 x 230 mm, is much larger than the dimensions listed in Herbert's revised edition of Darlow & Moule (255 x 186 mm), and is possibly a Large Paper issue.

Engraved frontis by C. Grignion after F. Hayman. Fine and bright throughout, the books are bound in contemporary full brown decorative panelled calf bindings. Spines with raised bands. Compartments double ruled in gilt. Brown labels with double ruled border either side of a dotted border, lettering and 2 cherub designs, all in gilt. Marbled endpapers. Some minor bumping to the corners and small amount of loss to the spine ends and bottom of one board. A couple of cracks in the hinges but all still firm and strong. Overall a superior set of this uncommon and important Bible in fine quality and decorative eighteenth century leather bindings. The set looks great on the shelf.

Published the same year was a folio edition, printed from the same setting of type, but "lengthened" by leading between lines, which is considerably rarer. It was thought that this rarity was due to a fire at the warehouse of the London Bookseller Benjamin Dod. A circa 19th century manuscript note in the British Library folio copy states 'Only six copies were preserved from a fire at the printers.' although more copies have come to light since that was written and it is now thought that the writer had confused the 1762 bible with the 1769 Oxford folio Bible that was damaged in a warehouse fire in January 8th 1770.

This edition, usually referred to as the Standard Edition, contains the first printing of the hugely significant recension of the King James Version text by Dr. Francis Sawyer Parris, Master, and Librarian, of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge and Henry Therold, fellow of Magdalene. "In this Bible a serious attempt was made to correct the text of King James' version by amending the spelling and punctuation, unifying and extending the use of italics, and removing printers' errors. Marginal annotations, which had been growing in some Bibles since 1660, although excluded from others, were finally received into the place they have occupied ever since, sundry new ones being added. Lloyd's dates and chronological notes were also adopted and increased, and the marginal references were much enlarged"

Herbert, p. 274. (Ref; Historical catalogue of printed editions of the English Bible 1525-1961 by T. H. Darlow and H. F. Moule, revised and expanded by A. S. Herbert.).