Welcome to From the Bench!
I am very excited to share the process of one of the coolest antique personal Bibles I have come across to date in this latest edition of “From the Bench”.
The text is in German, and the large print was not that common, and the paper! Oh my, the paper! 100% linen, and so pleasant to handle. A fine example of the quality no wood paper being fast replaced in commercial printing during the surge of the industrial revolution. Unfortunately, it is hard to pinpoint a date due to several of the beginning and ending pages being lost to time. Given the leather, style of binding, and paper, I am guessing mid to late 1800’s. Most likely immigrated pre WW1, which would explain how it survived both world wars, given that it is authentically German.
The cover as you can see is harboring plenty of my nemesis, cellophane tape! Out damned tape! The leather was also pretty brittle, with red rot, and the front cover was detached. There appeared to be a set of strap closures at one time. Replacing them was not possible due to how brittle the leather was. While the paper was of good quality and reasonable condition for its age there were still quite a few missing, damaged, and loose pages that needed to be addressed.
But I’ll let the photos take it from here!
So with this latest offering “From the Bench” here are the before and after shots of this gorgeous Industrial Revolution era German Bible. Check out the rest of the series!
Be well Friends!
Before:
After:
