Leaf from a Baskett Bible, 1740

Item — Box: 2, Folder: 26

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

Sold as Otto F. Ege's Original Leaves from Famous Bibles: Nine Centuries, 1121-1935 A.D. Cleveland: Otto Ege, circa 1950, this collection consists of 37 original Bible leaves in mattes with descriptive labels. Three items are manuscript pages, while an additional 34 are printed. The leaves range in age from circa 1200 to 1935. During the years 1938-1950, Ege published portfolios under this title with 37, 50 and 60 leaves.

For preservation reasons, the leaves have been separated from their mattes, and enclosed in mylar. However, each matte and descriptive label has been retained with its original leaf where possible.

The descriptions consist mostly of transcriptions of the labels written by Ege.

Dates

Creation: 1740

Creator

From the Collection: Ege, Otto F. (Compiler, Person)
From the Collection: Duschnes, Philip C. (Compiler, Person)

Biographical / Historical

Oxford. Printed by John Baskett, Printer to the University

Baskett and his heirs, with their extension “patents” were the Bible “monopolists” for ninety years. Their carelessly printed editions, sometimes with 2000 errors, caused the work to be nicknamed “The Basketful of Errors.” A royal order in 1724 demanded impriced quality of paper, correctness of text, and a more reasonable price, to be imprinted on the title-page. Results are reflected in this Oxford edition which is almost free from the errors of earlier editions.