Bible, Le nouveau testament, Lyon, 1557, contemporary calf elaborately gilt

Bible. New Testament. Latin and French

Le nouveau testament... en Latin, & en Francoys, selon la verité Hebraique. Lyon: Gabriel Cotier, 1557

8vo (148 x 97mm.), parallel text in Latin and French, woodcut initials and headpieces, with blank leaf at end of preliminaries, ruled in red, later calf binding retaining panels and spine from a contemporary gilt arabesque binding with a painted strapwork centrepiece on a semé of dots, gilt edges, binding slightly rubbed, spine creased

RARE. A parallel Latin and French text of the New Testament, with the text split into numbered verses, an innovation introduced in 1555 by Robert Estienne. The Latin text of Pagninus is alongside Pierre Robert Olivétan's French translation, known as the French Geneva version, which was the version influential on English bible translation.

LITERATURE:

USTC 5683 (listing 3 copies, in Munich, Wolfenbüttel and Uppsala); not in Darlow & Moule

PROVENANCE:

Julius Awer (or Auer), of Tobel (Bavaria), canon of Salzburg and of Passau, early inscription on title-page and large woodcut armorial stamped on verso of title-page and dated 1567; F.A. Hartmann, inscription on title-page