THUMB BIBLE - Bible de l'Enfance. Paris; De Pelafol, Librarie. Rue des Grands-Augustins, No. 21 1821.
64mo. (6cm x 7cm); contemporary full tan calf with wide scroll border in gilt to sides, flat spine ruled and decorated in gilt in compartments with onlaid red leather label lettered gilt, gilt ruled board edges, marbled edges and endpapers; pp. [i}frontis., [i] title, [3]-96; with a total of 48 delightful and detailed wood-engravings printed on one side of paper only, each captioned in the plate; a very pretty little copy with light external rubbing and mild shelf wear; internally very good and sound with contemporary French bookseller's letterpress label to front pastedown (Librairie de ve. Bergeret) and a neat contemporary and calligraphed insciption in ink to the recto of frontispiece, "Souvenir d'amitie a Miss Harriett [sic] et Wilam [sic] Verner du 1 Janvier 1827"; interior generally clean with light dusting, some tiny corner creases of a few millimetres, and the occasional fox-spot.
Rare French miniature illustrated edition of this juvenile "thumb bible", the earliest iteration of which appeared in 1815, issued by the same publisher. " This is a translation of the 'Mills' Bible into French with the engravings copied in reverse from that Bible.. The same plates are used in the 1817 French edition, C4o" (Three Centuries of Thumb Bibles, p. 352).
The inscription is apparently addressed to Sir William Verner, 1st Baronet KCH (1782-1871) who was a distinguished British solider who served in the Napoleonic wars, incurring injury at the Battle of Waterloo. He also served for 36 years as an MP and was made Knight Commander of the Hanoverian Order, and a Baronet, and Grand Master of Armagh and the Orange Order of Ireland. In 1819 he had married Harriet Esther Wingfield, granddaughter of the 3rd Viscount Powerscourt and Harriet Esther Westenra.
Thumb Bibles constitute condensed versions of the Bible, printed in a format less than 3 inches, or as miniatures, tupically complete with illustration as they were designed for children. The engravings are frequently not as refined as here.
#2119409