Bible. English, King James version

2 volumes, folio (458 x 294mm.), text in double columns, bound with The Book of Common Prayer ([Cambridge: John Field], 1660) preceded by engraved frontispiece of the arms of Charles II by Wenceslaus Hollar and dedication to Charles II signed by John Ogilby, engraved general title showing Solomon on his throne by Lombart after Diepenbeck, engraved frontispiece portrait of Charles II, volume 2 with separate title page, New Testament title page dated 1659, 93 DOUBLE-PAGE OR FOLDING ENGRAVED PLATES, INCLUDING A LARGE VIEW OF JERUSALEM BY HOLLAR, TOGETHER WITH 48 ADDITIONAL PORTRAITS, ruled in red throughout, CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH RESTORATION BINDING OF RED MOROCCO GILT, the covers with single and double gilt fillet borders enclosing a panel of single and double fillets and a floral roll, the centre of each side of the panel tooled with strawberry and flower volutes and dots, with similar designs in the corners, spines richly gilt in 8 compartments (dense rose and other floral and leaf designs, use of circular and semi-circular tools), gilt edges, FORE-EDGE PAINTINGS of arms surmounted by a horse, and various flora including tulips, daisies, fritillaries and leaves, marbled endpapers, some repairs to margins, some plates slightly spotted or stained, some browning throughout, view of Jerusalem repaired and mounted, hinges strengthened and repaired, repairs to corners of binding, some slight further wear to binding

arms on fore-edge paintings (? possibly of the Whittaker, Mitchell or Powney family), unidentified armorial bookplate ("R.W.") on upper paste-downs; Thomas Dampier, family bookplate also on upper paste-downs, and his ownership signature dated 1808 on front endpapers, autograph note on the fore-edge arms beneath

Thomas Dampier (bap. 1749, d. 1812), was born and educated at Eton and was Dean and Bishop of Rochester before becoming Bishop of Ely in 1808 (the year he apparently acquired this Restoration Bible). A celebrated bibliophile he amassed a fine collection of early printed books by the time of his death. Dampier's own manuscript account of some of the rarer items was used extensively by Dibdin in compiling his Aedes Althorpianae (1822). After his death most of Dampier's library was sold en bloc to William Cavendish, sixth duke of Devonshire, for about £10,000, though some "duplicates from the collection had already been sold by auction in 1804, and in 1844 a further sale of the ‘remaining library’ of Dampier was held, comprising mostly eighteenth- and nineteenth-century material" (see Oxford DNB).

DMH 668; Wing B2258

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A HANDSOMELY-BOUND COPY WITH DISTINGUISHED PROVENANCE OF FIELD'S SPLENDID RESTORATION BIBLE. This is a reissue, with a new title-page, of Field's Bible of 1659 (DMH 666) to celebrate the Restoration of Charles II. The edition is found with varying numbers of plates (normally far fewer), and sometimes (as here) has a prayer book with a dedication to Charles II signed by John Ogilby.

The design of the binding here bears some resemblance to those performed in the workshop of The Royal Heads Binder (see, for instance, The Book of Common Prayer, 1661, item 40 in Maggs catalogue 1212, Bookbinding in the British Isles, Sixteenth to the Twentieth Century, Summer 1996) and to Samuel Mearne, bookbinder to Charles II; the triangular tool found on the corners of the roll-tooled border can be found on several of his bindings (Henry Davis Gift 107 and 108).