Enormous Bible

Recently I found this wonderful antique Bible on eBay. I placed it alongside my old Bible that I've used since college and also (shameless commerce) my Lenten Bible study. 

This site gives information about it: "Printed by Harper & Brothers in New York City ...this Bible is widely regarded as the publishing event of the 1800’s, and the most heavily illustrated Bible ever printed. This King James Version large family Bible features over 1,600 detailed illustrations, of which almost 200 are so large as to cover one-third of the page. There are also over 1,000 florally ornamented initial drop-letters, each one unique with no repeats… for example, there are over 350 different letter 'A’s'. 

"Many well-known artists were commissioned by the publisher for over six years (at a cost of about $2 million in today’s dollars) to produce all the illustrations. This Bible is also the first known example of using electrotype technology to reproduce original woodcut engraved illustrations. The undertaking was so expensive; the publisher had to sell the Bible in 54 parts from 1843 to 1846, using the money from the subscribers to pay for the ongoing production until it was completed...." 

The article goes on to say that the inclusion of the Apocrypha, including cross-references in the Old and New Testaments, made the book desirable as a reference tool in addition to a beautiful work of the printer's art. 

I liked this copy because of its red cover, which includes a depiction of Trinity Church, New York on the front cover. The book is a nice compliment to my other enormous Bibles that I write about here.