Collections’ Highlights
“The Wicked Bible”
“The Wicked Bible”
BIB.002902
Bible - Printed Book
1631
London, (England)
English
Printed on Paper
6.75 × 4.75 × 2.25 in. (17.1 × 12.1 × 5.7 cm)
Not on View
Printing the Bible with movable type on an early modern press was a remarkably difficult task. As the “King’s Printer,” Robert Barker held the exclusive right to print all English Bibles, including the King James Bible, but his early editions were marred by poor quality and typographical errors. His 1631 King James Bible omitted the critical word “not” in Exodus 20:14, leading to the unfortunate exhortation, “Thou shalt commit adultery.” Barker was fined for the error and most copies of this edition were either corrected or destroyed. This is a rare uncorrected copy.
Printed in 1631 by Barker and Assigns of John Bill, London, England. Acquired by Sarah Clarke.[1] Acquired before 2010 by David C. Lachman, Wyncote, Pennsylvania;[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] Handwritten inscription appears on the page before the note to the reader. [2] David Lachman provided no additional information.
Published References
Museum of the Bible Publications:
Jennifer Atwood and Stacey Douglas, eds. Passages: Exploring the Bible in Four Movements. An Exhibition Guide. (Museum of the Bible, 2015), 21–22.
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