Collection ID

BIB.000223

Type

Bible - Printed Book

Date

1791

Geography

United States

Language

English

Medium

Printed on Paper

Dimensions

10.7 × 9.1 × 3.5 in. (27.1 × 23.0 × 8.9 cm)

Exhibit Location

Not on View

The Isaac Collins Bible was the first Bible printed in New Jersey and was considered one of the most typographically accurate Bibles of its day. Isaac Collins, a printer and bookseller, commissioned a series of committees led by John Witherspoon to correct his proof sheets in order to ensure the text was error free. According to some contemporary accounts, his children also checked for errors 11 more times. Collins printed around 5,000 copies, with some including the Apocrypha and commentary. Published shortly after the American Revolution, this copy includes Witherspoon’s address “To the Reader,” instead of the traditional dedication to King James, as in other King James Bibles. Due to its size, some historians also consider it one of the earliest American family Bibles.

Printed in 1791 by Isaac Collins, Trenton, New Jersey. Acquired by Craig and Lea, booksellers, Wilmington, Delaware.[1] Acquired by 2010 by Jonathan Byrd’s Rare Books, Goodyear, Arizona;[2] Privately purchased in 2010 by Green Collection, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Donated in 2016 to National Christian Foundation (later The Signatry), under the curatorial care of Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.

Notes: [1] Craig and Lea’s bookplate is located on the front pastedown and possibly dates to the late 1700s. [2] Jonathan Byrd’s bookplate is located on the front pastedown.

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