Why You Should Get a Facsimile of the 1536 Tyndale New Testament, and the 1549 Tyndale Bible For Sale

Before you buy a copy of the original 1536 Tyndale New Testament, and the 1549 Tyndale Bible for sale, it’s important to know what makes it so significant. Usually, the Tyndale Bible stands for William Tyndale’s translations of different books of the Bible in the 1500s. His work is given the credit of being the first English translation from the original Greek and Hebrew texts and the first English, mass-produced biblical translation that became possible due to the new technological advances in the art of printing.

It’s sad to note that before his execution, Tyndale never published a complete Bible. That’s because he could just finish translating the New Testament and around 50% of the Old Testament. Yet, Tyndale’s translations have significantly influenced on almost every contemporary English translation of Scripture.

Since not everyone may have the huge pile of money necessary to buy the original 1536 Tyndale New Testament, and the 1549 Tyndale Bible for sale or even a few pages of it, the next best thing is to get a facsimile. If you are considering buying a copy of the original Tyndale Bible, you should learn about the unique aspects that made the original such a prized possession.

Story Behind the 1536 Tyndale New Testament, and the 1549 Tyndale Bible

William Tyndale is often called the “Father of the English Bible.” It was his burning desire to make the Bible available to England’s common people that finally made it possible to print it.

Due to strong demand for Scriptures in the language England’s common people spoke, and the advancement in printing technology, William Tyndale took the responsibility of translating the New Testament directly from Greek. Since Tyndale could speak seven languages and was skillful in ancient Greek and Hebrew, the job wasn’t an uphill one for him. He started his translation work in 1523.

After England’s church authorities stopped him from translating the Bible, William Tyndale received financial support from London’s wealthy merchants that helped him flee to Germany in 1524. He completed translating the New Testament in July 1525. It was printed in Cologne.

He came under pressure, once again, from the city authorities, and fled to Worms. There, two more editions of his translations were published in 1525. In 1526, the first copies of Tyndale’s Bible translations were smuggled into England. However, they were immediately banned.

After finishing work on the New Testament, Tyndale started work on the Old Testament. In 1530, his translation of the Pentateuch (the Old Testament’s first five books) was issued in Marburg. Each of these five books was published and circulated separately. Though Tyndale continued working on the Old Testament translation, he couldn’t complete it as he was captured in Antwerp. In 1536, he was condemned for dissent and executed by strangulation, followed by being burned at stake in Vilvoorde.

Special Features of the 1536 Tyndale New Testament, and the 1549 Tyndale Bible

Before buying a replica of the original 1536 Tyndale New Testament, it would help you to know that it was the most elaborate and last edition done before Tyndale’s death in October of the same year. The original 1536 Tyndale New Testament, and the 1549 Tyndale Bible includes outstanding woodcut illustrations and a Gothic blackletter typeface similar to calligraphy. Rare original Tyndale Bibles from the 1500’s can sell for well into six figures.

A facsimile of the original 1536 Tyndale New Testament, and the 1549 Tyndale Bible for sale would be a lot cheaper. However, you should ensure it’s the exact facsimile reproduction of the original and features magnificent woodcut illustrations.

Some sellers of such rare books offer photographically enlarged Tyndale Bible for sale, where they photographically make the reproduction bigger to almost 125% the size of the original for ease of reading.

It’s wise to get your facsimile of the original 1536 Tyndale New Testament, and the 1549 Tyndale Bible for sale in a hardcover bound form to ensure you and others can enjoy reading it for a long time to come.

Why Is It Hard to Get a Facsimile of 1535 Tyndale’s Bible for Sale?

Though thousands of copies of Tyndale’s 1525 first edition were smuggled back into England, primarily due to the book’s small octavo format, not many are found today.
Most of these copies were confiscated and burned. A handful of those who owned them risked death. Tyndale’s translation work and printing of Bibles paved the way for new versions. Most of the succeeding English translations that took place during the rest of the 16th and early 17th centuries were largely based on Tyndale’s work. Yet, just two known copies are left of Tyndale’s 1525 first edition today, which makes it pretty difficult, if not impossible, to possess them or even their facsimile.

Final Words

The 1536 Tyndale New Testament, and the 1549 Tyndale Bible is testimony to the dawn of the reformation. Getting your hands on a replica of the original is definitely a worthy investment. So, go ahead and buy a facsimile of the original 1536 Tyndale New Testament, and the 1549 Tyndale Bible for sale from a reputed dealer.

Things You Need to Know Before Buying Old Bibles for Sale

People have diverse reasons to buy old Bibles for sale. For example, an individual may plan to buy an antique King James Version as an heirloom, which will be passed down for generations. Another may like to acquire a Geneva Bible to be given to a loved one as a gift – be it for a wedding anniversary or a birthday. Some may even like to buy ancient Bibles as an investment.

You may even have plans to start your own collection of antique Bibles. Whatever be your reason for buying these old Bibles, you may feel somewhat intimidated by the jargon that antique book dealers use while negotiating a deal.

Given below is an overview of the technical terms the antiquarian book trade involves, which will help you navigate this world with relative ease and better understand the different factors contributing to the price of old Bibles for sale. 

Size

In the ancient era, Bibles were made of large sheets of paper. A folio Bible (2°) had these sheets folded in half, which created 2 leaves or 4 pages. Quarto Bibles (4°) had these sheets folded in half twice, which created 4 leaves or 8 pages. Octavo Bibles (8°) had these sheets folded in half thrice, resulting in 8 leaves or 16 pages. In terms of size, folio Bibles were the largest (standing tall at 11-20”), followed by quarto and octavo Bibles that stood tall at 8-10.75” and 6-7.5”, respectively.

Collation

This term stands for the order and manner in which leaves are collected into signatures and bound into a single book. Collation lets you decide if any pages are missing and the edition or version of the book. Antique Bible collectors and dealers typically use catalogs, like Thomas Herbert Darlow and Horace Frederick Moule’s Historical catalogue of the printed editions of Holy Scripture or A.S. Herbert’s Historical catalog of Printed Bibles to date and list ancient Bibles accurately.

Additional Features

Old Bible texts often had extra features. For instance, J.S. Speed’s Illustrated Genealogies came with a pictorial depiction of thirty-four pages of the pedigree from Adam to Christ, and had an optional map of the Promised Land spread across double pages. The Book of Common Prayer - the Anglican Church’s guide to baptism, communion, marriages, and other ceremonies, is another example worth noticing. Some old Bibles for sale even had a calendar that would include significant holy days and daily scripture readings.

Provenance

This gives ownership details of a Bible as it passes through several members of the royal family, collectors, or specific families. In other words, provenance lets you trace an old Bible’s ownership through a famous person.

Red-ruled Markings

A handful of ancient Bibles had the borders and vital parts of the text marked with a straight edge and red ink. A scribe would outline every page after printing, which was an extremely lengthy and detail-oriented practice used only by the affluent of those ancient times. Bibles with red-ruling made their text noticeable and easier to read.

Woodcuts

Woodcut illustrations found in old Bibles for sale were crafted by expert craftsmen, who would carve a picture into a wooden block. The book’s non-printed parts too would be carved out. This resulted in the carved image being at the same level as these parts. This was followed by the ink’s addition to the block. Next, the block would be pressed onto the page, thus creating the desired woodcut illustration.

Margins

Ancient Bibles often had their page perimeters, and the book’s text block undergo soiling, wear, and tear. But since many of these Bibles were originally printed with broad margins, they could be easily trimmed down before a soiled or damaged book was rebound, thus giving the book a relatively fresher and more pleasing look.

Binding

Ancient Bibles are always hardcover and come bound in different types of leathers over wooden boards, each offering a somewhat different color and texture. Since the binding of these books weren’t designed to last more than around 200 years, many old Bibles for sale have therefore been re-backed or rebound. Often, the original boards are reused and retained whenever an antique bible is rebound. However, you will rarely find a Bible in its original binding. It’s even rarer to get hold of the original metal hardware that accompanied these ancient Bibles.

Final Words

All these factors, along with the Bible’s condition, and font size or misprints that add a rare element, determine its value. Take note of these things when browsing old Bibles for sale before finalizing your deal.