1569 First Complete Bible in Spanish La Biblia del Oso Reina – The Bear Bible

GENERAL TITLE LEAF, 2 pages, LA BIBLIA, QVE ES, LOS SACROS LIBROS DEL VIEIO Y NVEVO TESTAMENTO. Trasladada en Espanol. La Palabra del Dios nuestro permanece para siempre, Isa.40. MDLXIX. Features a wonderful engraving of a bear endeavoring to obtain honey from a hole in the trunk of a tree which has the upper part broken off. The hole is partly covered by a large mallet suspended from an overhanging branch. Bees are flying about, or are settled on a book, representing the Bible, which lies on the ground. Other details are a spider hanging from a web in the branches and three birds, one of which appears to be attacking the bees. Two varieties of this title occur. This is variant A as evidenced by a narrow ornament placed at the top of the page and the words La Biblia…..Testamento are arranged in five lines. Variant B omits the ornament and the text is arranged in six lines instead. The verso contains two citations from the decrees of the Council of Trent in both Latin and in Spanish. There are two paper repairs on the verso that are neatly and sympathetically executed. One on the blank lower footer margin extends the width of the leaf and is 2 cm tall. The second is on the blank fore edge that closes a 0.5 cm tear. This repair is approx. 1 cm x 2 cm. The paper is crisp and bright with some very minor soiling from use. COMPLETE.

(A blank leaf here is absent as called for in entry 8471, however, both copies examined by Darlow and Moule, the blanks are noted as absent as well. Several other copies we have viewed are also absent.)

DEDICATORY PREFACE,  7ff., AD SERENISS ILLVSTRISS….Featuring both engraved plates- a full page one of Ezekiel’s Vision and a half page one of King Tyrus. Leaf 5 has a small repair to the upper blank corner, Leaf 6 has a small repair to the blank header margin. Leaf 7 has a small repair to the upper blank corner and to the running headline obscuring five letters of the title slightly on the verso and is signed C.R. The paper is crisp, bright, page tops lightly dust soiled. COMPLETE.

PREFACE TO THE READER, 7ff., AMONESTACION DEL INTERPRETE DE LOS SACROS LIBROS….., Leaves 1 & 7 have a small repair to the blank header margin, Leaves 5 & 6 have a small repair to the blank upper corner. The paper is crisp, bright, page tops lightly dust soiled, small moons on the blank fore edges with some into the printed notes . COMPLETE.

THE OLD TESTAMENT, Part 1, Genesis- Ecclus., Signed A – Yy8, Printed in double columns that are individually numbered 1-1438. Text measures 210mm x 143mm to a full page.Lovely illustrated drop capitals are present on each book’s title page. Leaf A5 has the upper blank corner repaired, Recto of leaf R6 columns are numbered 501/502 but really 533/534 without a break in the collation,Verso of leaf S5, left column is numbered 593 but really 563 without a break in the collation, Verso of leaf X3, left column is numbered 451 but really 651 without a break in the collation,Verso of leaf Y7, left column is numbered 999 but really 699 without a break in the collation, Recto of leaf Z6, right column is numbered 720 but really 726 without a break in the collation, Leaf Aa8 has a repair to the blank header margin and to the fore edge margin with loss to a few words of the printed notes, Leaf Bb7 has a repair to the blank header margin, Leaf Cc8 columns are numbered 729/730 but really 829/830 without a break in the collation, Recto of leaf Ee8, right column is numbered 849 but really 894 without a break in the collation,  Recto of leaf Oo2, has the column numbers reversed 1158/1157 without a break in the collation. Genesis 1 through Exodus 3 (A- D3) with faint moons to the fore edge margins, some being blank and others with printed notes. Paper is remarkably clean and crisp with square corners, straight edges, clean gutters and no extraneous writing. There are no loose, torn or missing pages. All repairs mentioned above were neatly and sympathetically executed. Near Fine, COMPLETE.

THE OLD TESTAMENT, Part 2, Isaiah- Second Maccabees, Signed AA- RR8, Printed in double columns that are individually numbered 1- 544. Text measures 210mm x 143mm to a full page.Lovely illustrated drop capitals are present on each book’s title page. Leaves AA7 & AA8 with repairs to the blank header margins and blank corners.Leaf EE8 has the upper blank corner repaired. Leaves HH5,6,7,8 & II,2,3 have repairs to the header margins sometimes obscuring the titles. Recto of leaf OO6 both columns are mis-numbered 441/442 really 439/440 without a break in the collation.Leaves PP,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 have repairs to blank header margins sometimes obscuring the titles.Leaves QQ,2 have repairs to blank header margins. The verso of leaf RR4 has mis-numbered columns 517/518 really 527/528 without a break in collation. Paper is remarkably clean and crisp with square corners, straight edges, clean gutters and no extraneous writing. There are no loose, torn or missing pages. All repairs mentioned above were neatly and sympathetically executed.Very Good, COMPLETE.

THE NEW TESTAMENT, Signed a- q7, Printed in double columns that are individually numbered 1- 508. Text measures 210mm x 143mm to a full page.Lovely illustrated drop capitals are present on each book’s title page. Leaf a has a small spot on the left column affecting a few letters, Leaves a2,3,4,7,8 have repairs to the header margins obscuring part of the titles and a few words of the text, Leaf a6 has a closed tear at the fore edge with some discoloration, Leaf b has a repair to the blank header margin, The verso of leaf d2 has columns mis-numbered 71/72 really 103/104 without a break in the collation, The verso of leaf h3 has columns mis-numbered 225/226 really 235/236 without a break in the collation, The recto of leaf h6 has the right column mis-numbered 245 really 246 without a break in the collation, Leaves h5-k have faint water tides on the blank footer margins not touching the text, Leaf k2 contains the error in Romans 3:28 omitting the words por fe (by faith) as called for. The recto of leaf k8 has the right column mis-numbered 718 really 318 without a break in the collation,The recto of leaf l7 has the left column mis-numbered 348 really 345 without a break in the collation, The recto of leaf l8 has columns mis-numbered 315/316 really 351/352 without a break in the collation, The verso of leaf m5 has columns mis-numbered 339/340 really 371/372 without a break in the collation,The verso of leaf m7 has the left column mis-numbered 399 really 379 without a break in the collation, Leaf o7 contains the Hebrews 12:29 error omitting the verse as called for. Leaves p-q8 have faint water tides on the blank footer margins not touching the text,The recto of leaf p8 skips columns 477/478 without a break in the collation continuing with columns 479/480, The verso of leaf p8 has columns mis-numbered 479/480 really 477/478 without a break in the collation. Paper is remarkably clean and crisp with square corners, straight edges, clean gutters and no extraneous writing. There are no loose, torn or missing pages. All repairs mentioned above were neatly and sympathetically executed.Very Good, COMPLETE.

LIST OF ERRATA, q7-8, Los errores que en la impresión no se pudieron excusar. Printed in triple columns ending with “Anno del Senor M.DLXIX. en Septiembre. Faint water tide on leaf q8 and with writing with a quill on the verso. Lacks the following blank leaf as called for. COMPLETE.

NOTE-

Absent from this copy are the 3 leaves of the appendix titled “Annotationes breves sobre los lugares mas difficiles”. 

Many copies do not contain these additional notes, but that they properly belong to this edition is shown by a reference to them on the eleventh page of the Amonestacion (prefatory material). A few copies have them inserted elsewhere other than at the end of the volume, e.g. before Genesis , or before the New Testament. In 1858 a limited edition of 50 copies of the Annotationes was reprinted from a copy in the possession of B.B. Wiffen, at the expense of Luis de Usoz i Rio.

Conclusion: It is the opinion of this seller that the Annotationes were a mid-press and/or a post press run addition to the edition making their presence or absence both correct. Further,it is impossible to make a determination regarding our copy.  

This Bible has been recently rebound in full medium brown calfskin in a more modern style. It has new heavy boards that feature a single gold border line. The six compartment spine is nicely decorated in gold without raised cords and is stamped “LA BIBLIA and REINA 1569”. The binding was beautifully finished using marbled end papers and brilliant gold leaf was applied to the fore edges of the text block. The text block is tight, sound, square and unshaken.