BIBLIYNA HISTORYA -

Wrocław [aka Breslau]: Wilhelma Bogumiła Korna, 1820. Very good plus.. First edition of an unusual copy of this Polish Bible story reader, with an imprint altered by an early owner to read a century earlier than it was actually published. At a quick glance, it would be easy to assume this Polish children's book of Bible stories is as old as is claims to be - the leaves certainly feel as though they've experienced a spare century or two. However, close examination of the object betrays the "imprint": the woodcut illustrations don't stylistically fit the 1720 date on the title page, and the printer mentioned on the title page's verso doesn't exist. There is also a ghost of an unrelated title under the spine's blind tooling. This is a fascinating example of how owner interventions may obscure the true nature of a book, though the purpose of the obfuscation in this case is a mystery. Even without the puzzling copy-specific additions, this edition is very rare institutionally: we locate no holdings in… Read More