A wonderfully atmospheric 18th-century Scandinavian Bible, printed in Copenhagen in 1738, retaining its early leather binding and containing handwritten family inscriptions documenting its continued ownership and use more than a century after it was printed.
The title page reads:
BIBLIA, Det er Den Gandske Hell. Skriftes Bøger, Efter den 1699 udgangne Huus- og Reyse-Bibel and the imprint records its printing in Copenhagen in 1738 by Gottmann Friderich Kisel at the Royal Orphanage printing house (Det Kongelige Waysen-Huses Bogtrykkerie).
Commonly known as a Huus- og Reyse-Bibel — “House and Travel Bible”, this was a practical form of Bible intended for domestic and portable use rather than the enormous folio church and family Bibles of the period. One of the most appealing features of this particular copy is the survival of its 19th-century Scandinavian family inscriptions. An inscription on the front flyleaf appears to record ownership by a Peter Larsson/Larsen and is dated May 1854. At the rear is an especially touching family entry recording the birth and baptism of Peter's daughter. Although one portion of the child's given name is difficult to decipher, “Gurine Petersdatter” can be read, followed by an entry which translates approximately as:
“My child's name … Gurine Petersdatter. She was born into the world on the 1st of November and baptised on the 13th of the same month, 1869.” The patronymic Petersdatter means literally “Peter's daughter.”
The inscriptions therefore provide a tangible record of the Bible's life as a treasured family possession.
Genealogical research has located a number of Norwegian women named Gurine Pedersdatter/Petersdatter born around 1869, but none can yet be connected to this volume with sufficient certainty to make a definitive identification. The inscriptions are consequently described here exactly as the evidence permits.
The Bible was printed when Denmark and Norway were still united under the Danish Crown, more than 75 years before the political separation of the two kingdoms in 1814. Although printed in Copenhagen, editions such as this were used throughout Denmark and Norway, and surviving 1738 Huus- og Reyse-Bibler are still documented in historic Norwegian church collections.
The title itself states that this edition followed the 1699 House and Travel Bible.
Internally the book retains the wonderfully distinctive appearance expected of an early-18th-century Scandinavian Bible. It is printed predominantly in black-letter / Fraktur type, with elaborate decorative initials, typographical ornaments and a few handsome woodcut-style headpieces.
Particularly attractive is the opening of Genesis — “Mosis Første Bog” — surmounted by an elaborate floral headpiece containing the Hebrew letters:
יהוה
representing the Tetragrammaton, YHWH, the biblical name of God.
The volume also contains Martin Luther's prefaces, including Doct. Morten Luthers Fortale over det gamle Testamente, reflecting the Lutheran religious tradition of Denmark-Norway.
Later matter includes the Augsburg Confession, headed:
Den Augsburgiske (Troens og den Christelige Lærdoms) Bekiendelses Artikler
— another important feature of this Lutheran Bible.
The book retains an extremely characterful early full-leather binding over substantial boards.
The covers retain their original metal studs/bosses, intended partly to protect the leather when the Bible was laid on a surface. Evidence at the fore-edge indicates that the volume originally possessed leather clasps, which are now absent.
Condition
This is an antique Bible dating from 1738 and should be purchased as an historic object rather than a modern reading copy. The leather binding has wear appropriate with its' age, with rubbing and scuffing particularly around the corners, spine and extremities. The pages show expected age toning, occasional spotting, staining, marks and edge wear. Nevertheless, the printing remains exceptionally attractive and strongly legible, as the photographs demonstrate.
The survival of the original title page, early binding, decorative printed material and manuscript family entries gives the volume considerable historical character.
Please examine all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the description.
Title: Biblia, Det er Den Gandske Hell. Skriftes Bøger, Efter den 1699 udgangne Huus- og Reyse-Bibel
Date: 1738
Place: Copenhagen / Kiøbenhavn
Printer: Gottmann Friderich Kisel
Language: Danish
Type: Lutheran House and Travel Bible
Binding: Early full leather over boards with surviving metal furniture
Provenance: Scandinavian manuscript ownership/family inscriptions, including 1854 and 1869 entries
Family name: Peter Larsson/Larsen
Birth record: Gurine Petersdatter, born 1 November and baptised 13 November 1869Age: Approximately 288 years old
An appealing survivor of 18th-century Scandinavian religious and domestic life, made considerably more personal by the handwritten record of the family who continued to use it generations after it was printed.
It would make an excellent addition to a collection of early Bibles, Scandinavian antiquarian books, Danish or Norwegian history, Lutheran material, religious printing or family-history ephemera.
Dimensions: 22 x 16.5x 9.6cm (8.66" x 6.5" x 3.78") .
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