Antique 1817 Leather Bible-Lincoln & Edmands Boston-1875 GA Tornado Survivor

Description: Offered is this antique leather-bound Bible, printed in 1817 by W. Greenough for Lincoln and Edmands of Boston. Found inside of the Bible were several documents attesting to the fact that it survived a tornado on March 20, 1875 despite being in the second story of a house that had that second story blown off. It was found, soaked with water (accounting for the leather damage seen today), and returned to its owner (see photo #3 and the last three photos-note that one of the documents erroneously dates the "cyclone" to 1877.) I have found reference online to this tornado, part of an outbreak throughout eastern Georgia that day that did considerable damage and killed and injured many people. In this online reference is a mention of the destruction of Elam church (the documents with the Bible mention this but spell it "Elim"), located about eight miles from the small town of Camak, Georgia. This is a rare edition of an early American Bible and the addition of the documents and the story they tell makes it unique. The Bible is approx. 6 1/2" x 4 1/4". It is in fair condition, although given its history of tornado survival it is surprisingly intact. The brown leather cover has considerable wear, with numerous lines and cracks and a small portion at the bottom of the spine missing. The front and back parts of the cover are still attached, but this is precarious, especially in the back. There are no endpapers, and the title page is missing, as well, although the New Testament title page is present, as shown in the main photo. I see no missing pages within the body of the Bible itself (see photos #6 & #13 for the beginning of Genesis and the end of Revelation) and they are fairly well-attached to the binding. The pages have browned, some moderately and some rather heavily, and there is some foxing and other marks, but the text all seems to be readable. I see no major tears but there are probably some small edge tears. There are numerous "dog-eared" corners and folds. There is a page of family history written on the blank page adjacent to the beginning of the New Testament; there may be other writing but it doesn't appear to be extensive. I have a lot of experience with vintage and antique books but am not an expert so please let me know if my description is missing information and you have additional questions. I will do my best to answer them! Please take a moment to look at some of the other items in my eBay store!

Price: 149 USD

Location: Washington, Georgia

End Time: 2024-12-22T00:47:21.000Z

Shipping Cost: 7.38 USD