An imposing early‑18th‑century King James Bible and Book of Common Prayer, printed by John Baskett, Printer to the University of Oxford, MDCCXXVI (1726) and bound with the classic metrical psalter The Whole Book of Psalms: Collected into English Metre by Sternhold & Hopkins, printed in London by T. Wood and S. Palmer for the Company of Stationers, 1726.
 
This substantial folio (or large quarto) volume opens with the Act of Uniformity and the Book of Common Prayer, followed by the King James Bible text and ending with the separately titled psalms in English metre. The spine is lettered in gilt “BASKETT OXFORD MDCCXXVI”, and the period full‑leather binding retains simple blind tooling and raised bands, giving great shelf presence.
 
Features:
Printer: John Baskett, Oxford, 1726–27 Bible and Prayer Book, with 1726 London psalter at rear.
Contents: Book of Common Prayer, King James Version Old & New Testaments (with tables such as “To find Easter for ever”), and Whole Book of Psalms in English metre.
Binding: Contemporary full calf with blind‑tooled panels and gilt‑lettered spine.
 
Condition
Good, worn but complete antique condition. The binding shows rubbing, corner wear and small losses to head and tail of spine; inner joints have old paper repairs and strengthening. Pages show typical age toning, some old stains and occasional ink annotation or underlining, especially in the Prayer Book section, but the text remains very legible throughout. The psalter and main text appear complete; allow for normal small imperfections in a 300‑year‑old volume. This example has complete text, clear and legible but with marks, the back board is detached and the front loosely attached.
 
Baskett’s Oxford printings of the King James Bible are among the classic 18th‑century English Bibles, often found as family or pulpit Bibles with the Book of Common Prayer and Sternhold & Hopkins psalter bound together. This volume offers a genuine piece of Georgian ecclesiastical history, ideal for:
 
- Period interiors and library displays
- Collectors of early English Bibles and liturgical books
- Props for film, theatre or photography needing authentic 18th‑century religious volumes
 
John Baskett was the first of three generations of Bible printers and John Baskett Bibles are very rare and collectable. 
 
John Baskett (1664/5–1742), was the King's Printer for England. His sons, Thomas and Robert, and grandson by the latter, Mark, were also engaged in the press. By purchasing reversion of the King's Printer position, Baskett kept it in the family for the following generations.
The first Bible printed by 'the assigns of Newcomb and Hills' appeared in 1710, and the name of John Baskett was first added to theirs upon a New Testament in 1712. Baskett began to print the Book of Common Prayer in the following year. He was made master of the Company of Stationers in 1714 and again in 1715. Four editions of the Bible (folio, quarto, octavo, and duodecimo) appeared with his imprint in 1715. His next publication was an edition in two volumes, imperial folio, printed at Oxford (the Old Testament in 1717 and New Testament in 1716), a work of great typographical beauty, styled by Dibdin 'the most magnificent' of the Oxford Bibles. 
Three copies on vellum have been traced: one in the British Museum, one in the Bodleian Library, and a third formerly at Blenheim. Daniel Prince, writing on 4 June 1795, says: 'Great care was taken to preserve the waste of that book, and indeed of some few others of Baskett's printing worth preserving. About the year 1762 all Basket's stock, &c., was removed to London. 
The name of John Baskett is last seen in a New Testament of 1742. He died on 22 June of that year. His sons Thomas and Robert printed the Old Testament in 1743. The name of Thomas alone appears in Bibles after 1744, and the imprint so continued down until 1769. He issued editions of the Prayer Book between 1746 and 1757. We find that 'Mark Baskett and the assigns of Robert Barker' printed two quarto bibles in London in 1761 and 1763, and a folio prayer-book in 1760. With the name of Mark Baskett is connected a remarkable bibliographical mystery. Isaiah Thomas, our chief authority for the history of printing in North America, assures us that 'Kneeland and Green' printed at Boston in about 1752, was the first Bible printed in America in the English language.
The Worshipful Company of Stationers, usually known as the Stationers' Company, is one of the livery companies of the City of London.The Stationers' Company was formed in 1403 and it received a royal charter in 1557. It held a monopoly over the publishing industry and was officially responsible for setting and enforcing regulations until the enactment of the Statute of Anne, also known as the Copyright Act 1710.
 
The Bible measures 27 x 20.5 x 9cm (10.63" x 8.07" x 3.54") and weighs 3.3kg (5.4lbs).