The Holy Bible containing the Old Testament and the New. Cambridge: John Baskerville, 1763.
John Baskerville (1706–75) was one of the greatest printers and typefounders of the eighteenth century. He is known for an exacting method of printing and book production, aesthetic layout, and design, and for producing a smooth paper finish. Baskerville printed his first book in 1757. Two years later, he was making plans to produce a folio edition of the Bible. In a May 1759 letter to the Vice Chancellor of Cambridge University, to which Baskerville was appointed printer, Baskerville notes, “I am taking great pains in order to produce a striking title page and specimen of the Bible, which I hope will be ready in six weeks”. It is not known if Baskerville did produce a sample in the allotted time, however, a first specimen dated 1759 was produced, followed by a second specimen in 1760.
Baskerville published his folio Bible three years later. It is considered today to be one of the world’s most beautifully printed books. Indeed, some scholars label it Baskerville’s magnum opus. His contemporaries, however, did not fully agree. More than 550 of the 1,250 copies printed were remaindered in 1768.
The Holy Bible containing the Old Testament and the New. Cambridge: John Baskerville, 1763.
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