MINIATURE BIBLE, in English – HARRIS, Benjamin (d. c.1716). - photo 1
MINIATURE BIBLE, in English – HARRIS, Benjamin (d. c.1716). - photo 2
MINIATURE BIBLE, in English – HARRIS, Benjamin (d. c.1716). - photo 3
MINIATURE BIBLE, in English – HARRIS, Benjamin (d. c.1716). - photo 4

MINIATURE BIBLE, in English – HARRIS, Benjamin (d. c.1716).

Lot 149
14.12.2022 10:30UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 9 450
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 870765
Lot 149 | MINIATURE BIBLE, in English – HARRIS, Benjamin (d. c.1716).
Estimate value
£ 5 000 – 8 000
MINIATURE BIBLE, in English – HARRIS, Benjamin (d. c.1716).

[The Holy Bible… done into Verse for the Benefit of weak Memories]. London: Benjamin Harris Senior, 1698.

Very rare children’s miniature Bible in verse, preserved in the original stamped binding. Its author and publisher, Benjamin Harris, conducted his business in London from 1668 to 1686 before moving to Boston, Massachusetts in 1686 and finally returning to London in 1695, where he remained until his death around 1716. Harris ‘was a virulent puritan whose anti-Catholicism is pungently expressed in his Protestant Tutor of 1679 and who was closely involved with the production of America’s most famous early children’s book, The New England Primer’ (Alderson and de Marez Oyens, p.21).



Although ESTC records no copies of the text published before 1715, we are able to trace four other copies of what appears to be the earliest extant edition: 2 copies of a different 1698 issue held at the University of California and the Morgan Library (lacking 5 and 14 leaves respectively); a copy in a later binding and lacking the final two leaves which sold at Forum Auctions on 28 January 2021 (lot 58, £12,000); and an apparently identical copy, preserved in the same original stamped binding, which was offered at Sotheby’s in May 1983. The Native American scene on the cover of the copy at the Morgan Library indicates that it may have belonged to an issue reserved by the publisher for the American market. Cf. Alderson and de Marez Oyens, Be Merry and Wise, 32; Charles L. Nichols, ‘The Holy Bible in Verse’, Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society 36 (April 1926); Wilbur Macey Stone, ‘The Holy Bible in Verse, 1698’, Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society 44 (April 1934).



32mo (74 x 54mm). Collation: A-D8 (lacking the apparent letterpress title A1; retaining the blank D8); additional title on A2r within woodcut border, further woodcuts to A3r and C4r, The New Testament with separate letterpress title at C3r, publisher’s advertisement leaf D7 (some minor dog-earing to corners, a few edges slightly nicked). Original panel-stamped sheep over thin boards, front cover depicting two figures, possibly Adam and Eve, the lower cover with a vase of flowers bearing the initials ‘W H’ (light wear, small loss of leather at head of spine). Provenance: A. K. (initials inside front cover dated 1699) – Ann Dadson (inscription and pen trials to blank D8 dated 9 May, 1750) – unidentified armorial bookplate on rear pastedown.





Special notice


No VAT on hammer price or buyer's premium.
Place of origin:Northern Europe, Europe, United Kingdom
Auction house category:Printed books
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
10.12.2022 – 13.12.2022
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

Related terms

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.