Wotton Auction Rooms sold a rare 1566 Bible to a British collector last week. The Bible, printed in Rouen, France, was in relatively good condition. The Bible was 410 mm x 270 mm with a spine of 100 mm - according to Printweek, and it was sold for £8,600, considerably more than the £1,000~£1,500 it was evaluated. Seeing the Bible and the interest in these old Bibles is interesting. Though Printweek dives deeper, nobody asks why an English Bible was printed in France. For those who have read Ken Follet, printing Bibles was reserved for the few. When French, Italian, German, and English translations became available, the church opposed them because it could not continue preaching its interpretations.
Thus, in many places, printing the translations was banned. Printing Bibles illegally was punished severely, and it was dangerous for printers to print illegal books, including Bibles. 1566 Rouen, France, was a print center for illegally printed Bibles. The Bible sold at the auction on December 10th, 2024, was 1566 acquired by a gentleman named Richard Carmarden. He was a member of the London-based Merchant Taylors Company. Funding a Bible was seen as something only few could afford. Now, the Bible is with a collector, and I hope the person will eventually let the world see this fantastic publication - but let’s see :-)
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