Bible, in Tahitian - photo 1
Bible, in Tahitian - photo 2
Bible, in Tahitian - photo 3
Bible, in Tahitian - photo 4
Bible, in Tahitian - photo 5

Bible, in Tahitian

Lot 92
28.04.2021 11:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 1 125
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 519383
Lot 92 | Bible, in Tahitian
Estimate value
£ 1 000 – 1 500
Bible, in Tahitian
Te Biblia moa ra ... E ua faa au maite hia i na parau tumu ra, e ua hope hoi i te faa titiaifaro hia. London: William Watts for The British and Foreign Bible Society, 1847
Presentation copy to John MacGillivray, before his departure to the South Pacific as naturalist on board HMS Herald. This is the first edition of the second Tahitian Bible. The first complete translation – in fact the first in any Polynesian language – was undertaken by Henry Nott and published by the BFBS in 1838. This edition was revised by William Howe and Thomas Joseph.

John MacGillivray (1821-1867) served as naturalist on three important Royal Navy expeditions to the Far East, Australia and the South Pacific: HMS Fly (1842-1846; where his appointment was paid for by the Earl of Derby and specimens sent to Knowsley), HMS Rattlesnake (1846-1850) and HMS Herald (1852-1856). In addition to his contributions to natural history through descriptions of the new flora and fauna he discovered, MacGillivray also had a keen interest in native peoples and collected their vocabularies. Presumably it was this interest that led to his being presented with the current work by the London Missionary Society on 8 June 1852. Unfortunately the voyage of the Herald was not without its difficulties: MacGillivray suffered from periods of alcoholism and financial penury, and was dismissed from the expedition at Sydney in early 1855. He remained in Australia subsisting on a meagre living as a naturalist and writer, making occasional expeditions to the New Hebrides and Torres Strait area, before dying aged 46 in Sydney in 1867.

Octavo (210 x 135mm). Pp. [iv], 983 (small marginal hole in 2C5 and small marginal chip and tear to 2Z4 both affecting a few letters, tape repair to large tear in blank postliminary leaf, occasional faint marginal spotting). Contemporary blind-stamped calf by Watkins (rebacked preserving original spine, corners repaired, rear inner cracking).
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
14.04.2021 – 28.04.2021
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.