http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/wspd_cgi.sh/pubweb/publicSite.r?sContinent=EUR&screen=Catalogue&iSaleNo=14243My step fathers Father Walter Coslet had an extensive Bible collection he died 10 years ago and hadn't touched most of these books in the last 20 years of his life,mostly just sitting since the 70's in an un climatised house in Helena, MT for Years. The family has been wondering what his widow was going to do with these Bibles before they were destroyed. Finally last summer a member of the world wide auction company of Bonhams came to Helena and choose the Bibles to see the auction 10/17/06 in California. They loaded around 3000 bibles into a Uhaul and Walters Son drove them to California.
The Earliest being 1549, an extensive collection will hit the floor the 17.
Example:
[BIBLE IN ENGLISH.]
The Byble in Englishe, that is, the Olde and New Testament, after the Translacion Appoynted to bee read in the Churches. London: Edward Whitchurch, 1549.
- 6, a-l8, m10, A7, B-R8, S6, AA-SS8, TT4, Aaa-Mmm,
- 2, A-N8, O12. Woodcut title-page and sectional title borders, woodcut initials, woodcut in the text in Genesis. Folio (305 x 185 mm). 19th century full brown calf, gilt-lettered black leather spine label. Wanting one sectional title, first gathering and a1, and final two leaves with tape repair (or stains) mainly in the margins, but affecting some text, title-page trimmed and mounted, repair in gutter of preliminary and final leaves, several repairs throughout, some dampstaining or browning to fore-edge of many leaved, NN3 with 21 lines of one column carefully excised and replaced with mss. Revision, stray spots, tears, wear to some margins, covers with wear to corners, spine partially detached, shelfwear.
Great Bible version. Herbert 76.
Provenance: From the Collection of Walter A. Coslet.
See illustration
Estimate: $5,000 - 7,000