Hebrew Bible (Pentateuch and Former Prophets including Chronicles), Paris: Robert Estienne, 1543-44

Large 8vo (10 x 6¼ in.; 254 x 158 mm). collation: A-Z, Aa-Zz, AAA-MMM^{4, NNN6, OOO-ZZZ, Aa-Cc4=296 leaves; a-z, aaa-rrr4=252 leaves; A-X4, Y6=90 leaves. Woodcut printer's device on three titles, woodcut headpieces; dampstain in lower margin of last quire, a few early marginalia, old bibliographical note on front endpaper. Contemporary German blind-tooled leather, in a panel design with roll-stamped portraits with Latin and Hebrew captions, clasps and catches, an 11-inch chain with hasp fixed to upper cover, shelfmark label on spine; bands and covers rubbed.}

Elizabeth Armstrong,  Robert Estienne - Royal Printer - An Historical Study of the Elder Stephanus, Cambridge: 1954; Renouard 54, no. 43; Steinschneider 99; Vinograd, Paris 16; Shaney Crawford, "Chain Reaction: The Practice of Chaining Books in European Libraries," http://www.shaneycrawford.com/Main/ChainReaction, accessed: 31 Oct. 2008.

Large 8vo (10 x 6 ¼ in.; 254 x 158 mm). collation: A-Z, Aa-Zz, AAA-MMM4, NNN6, OOO-ZZZ, Aa-Cc4=296 leaves; a-z, aaa-rrr4=252 leaves; A-X4, Y6=90 leaves. Woodcut printer's device on three titles, woodcut headpieces; dampstain in lower margin of last quire, a few early marginalia, old bibliographical note on front endpaper. Contemporary German blind-tooled leather, in a panel design with roll-stamped portraits with Latin and Hebrew captions, clasps and catches, chain with hasp fixed to upper cover, shelfmark label on spine; bands and covers rubbed.
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Another copy of the first quarto Hebrew Bible printed by Robert Estienne. The present lot comprises the Pentateuch, Former Prophets (Joshua, I and II Samuel, I and II Kings) and I and II chronicles. Each of the three title pages in this volume contains both Hebrew (square and rabbinic type) and Latin, with Estienne's device, an olive tree with a man standing to the right. Between them is the phrase, Noli altum sapere ("Be not high minded," Romans 11:20). Towards the bottom of the page are the initial letters (in Hebrew) of the verse, My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth (Psalms 121:2). This device is one of several employed by Robert and other members of the Estienne printing dynasty.

Although Estienne began the edition with the Minor Prophets in 1539, he printed the books of the Hebrew Bible out of order. The complete edition took five years to complete and as a result the first books in the traditional order of the text, which make up this volume, were the last part of the edition to come off the press, in 1543 and 1544.

This book provides a rare example of an original 16th century chained binding. It is made up of wooden boards covered with tooled leather, with an 11 inch iron chain attached to the front cover. The chain indicates that the book was once owned by an institutional library, which stored this book attached to a shelf. Codex manuscripts were expensive and scarce, and libraries took measures to protect them from theft or loss. The precursor of library security systems, the chain had an obvious function: it impeded the unauthorized removal of the Bible from its proper place and reinforced the notion of the Holy Scripture as something precious, while still allowing the book to be read in situ.

While chained books are certainly scarce, the binding of the present lot is made even more remarkable by the presence of Hebrew type within the blind tooling utilized by the binder. Hebrew text from Isaiah 7:14 has been used several times as a caption to one of the decorative images on the front and back covers. It is not known if there are any other examples of this extremely rare use of Hebrew in the bookbinding arts.