(8) [The Bible in Spain: 1843.]
The / Bible in Spain; / Or, the / Journeys, Adventures, and Imprisonments / Of an Englishman, / in / An Attempt to Circulate the Scriptures / in / The Peninsula. / By George Borrow, / Author of “The Gypsies of Spain.” / In three volumes. /
Vol. I. [Vol. II, etc.] / London: / John Murray, Albemarle Street. / 1843.
Vol. I.
Collation:—Large duodecimo pp. xxiv + 370; consisting of: Half-title (with imprint “G. Woodfall and Son, Angel Court, Skinner Street, London” upon the centre of the reverse) pp. i–ii; Title-page, as above (with blank reverse) pp. iii–iv; Contents of Vol. i pp. v–viii; Preface pp. ix–xxiv; and Text pp. 1–370. There are head-lines throughout, each verso being headed The Bible in Spain together with the number of the Chapter, whilst each recto carries at its head a note of the particular subject occupying it, with the Chapter number repeated. The imprint is repeated at the foot of p. 370. The signatures are A to Q (sixteen sheets, each 12 leaves), plus R (a half-sheet of 6 leaves). The last leaf of sig. R carries a series of Advertisements of books published by John Murray.
Vol. II.
Collation:—Large duodecimo, pp. viii + 398; consisting of Half-title (with imprint “G. Woodfall and Son, Angel Court, Skinner Street, London” upon the centre of the reverse) pp. i–ii; Title-page, as above (with blank reverse) pp. iii–iv; Contents of Vol. ii. pp. v–viii; and Text pp. 1–398. There are headlines throughout, as in the first volume. The imprint is repeated at the foot of p. 398. The signatures are A (four leaves), B to R (sixteen sheets, each 12 leaves), plus S (8 leaves). The last leaf of Sig. R carries a series of Advertisements of books published by John Murray.
Collation:—Large duodecimo, pp. viii + 391; consisting of: Half-title (with imprint “G. Woodfall and Son, Angel Court, Skinner Street, London” upon the centre of the reverse) pp. i–ii; Title-page, as above (with blank reverse) pp. iii–iv; Contents of Vol iii pp. v–viii; and Text pp. 1–391. There are headlines throughout, as in the two preceding volumes. The reverse of p. 391 is occupied by Advertisements of Romantic Ballads, Targum, and The Zincali. The imprint is repeated at the foot of p. 391. The signatures are a (2 leaves), b (2 leaves), B to R (sixteen sheets, each 12 leaves), plus S (4 leaves).
Issued (in December, 1842) in deep claret-coloured cloth boards, with white paper back-label, lettered “The | Bible | in | Spain | Vol. I. [Vol. II, &c.].” The leaves measure 7¾ × 4¾ inches. The published price was 27s.
Although the title page of the First Edition of The Bible in Spain is dated 1843, there can be no doubt that the book was ready early in the preceding December. I have in my own library a copy, still in the original cloth boards, with the following inscription in Borrow’s handwriting upon the flyleaf:
Autographed presentation copies of Borrow’s books are remarkably few in number, I only know of four, in addition to the above. One of these is preserved in the Borrow Museum, at Norwich.
Of the First Edition of The Bible in Spain One Thousand Copies were printed. The Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Editions were all published in 1843. By 1896 eighteen authorised editions had made their appearance. Since that date the book has been re-issued in numberless popular editions, and has been translated into various foreign languages.
The following verses made their first appearance in The Bible in Spain:
| vol. i., page | |
| Fragment of a Spanish Hymn. [Once of old upon a mountain, shepherds overcome with sleep] | 67 |
| Lines from an Eastern Poet. [I’ll weary myself each night and each day] | 149 |
| A Gachapla. [I stole a plump and bonny fowl] | 175 |
| vol. ii., page | |
| Fragment of a Patriotic Song. [Don Carlos is a hoary churl] | 141 |
| Saint James. [Thou shield of that faith which in Spain we revere] A reduced facsimile of the first page of the Manuscript of Saint James will be found facing the present page. | 176 |
| Lines. [May the Lord God preserve us from evil birds three] | 310 |
| Lines. [A handless man a letter did write] | 312 |
There is a copy of the First Edition of The Bible in Spain in the Library of the British Museum. The press-mark is 1369.f 23.
