Antique Bibles

As the most widely read book in Western civilization, the Bible offers a variety of collecting possibilities. Many collectors pursue specific themes, including very old Bibles, family Bibles containing family trees, maps, or notes, and interesting translations. The first complete English translation of the New Testament was published in 1526 by William Tyndale. In England, it was considered heresy and copies were destroyed. It wasn't until 1535 that the entire Bible - both Old and New Testaments - was published in English. There are many different versions of the bible, depending on both the translator and the religious beliefs of the monarchy at the time it was published. The most collectible Bibles are those printed in Europe before 1700. The first Bible to be published in America was the Eliot Bible, printed for the Natick Native American tribe in their own language in 1663. The first English-language Bible printed in America (a King James version) was published in 1782. The King James Bible was first published in 1611, and in the late 1800s, the English Revised Version became the first Bible to gain popularity since the King James version. Also in the late 1800s, Bibles began to omit the 14 Apocryphal books (whereas previously all Bibles had 80 books, now they only contained 66). Various factors influence the collectibility of Bibles; for example, first editions (first to be published in a specific language, first to be printed in a specific location, etc.), or copies signed by an important person.