The Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments: Translated out of the Original Tongues. and with the Former Translations Diligently Compared and Revised. Stereotyped for the American Bible Society by D. & G. Bruce. New York: D. Fanshaw, 1828.
AN EARLY NEW YORK PRINTING OF THE KING JAMES BIBLE WITH INCREDIBLE PROVENANCE LINKING THIS TO THE USS HORNET. THE ONLY SURVIVING COPY OF THIS WELL KNOWN EDITION TO COME TO MARKET, AND ONE OF ONLY TWO KNOWN SURVIVING COPIES!
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200 Bibles printed by D. Fanshaw were issued to the men of the USS Hornet by the American Bible Society in 1828. The USS Hornet was dismasted in a gale off Mexico in 1829 and subsequently sank with the loss of all men on board, and subsequently the loss of all but one of the 200 Bibles. Only one known copy is known to have survived and is preserved at the New York Public Library. That copy was Lieutenant L.E. Symmonds' copy. He had been transferred off of the ship one month before the tragic sinking of the USS Hornet, and inside his copy he wrote "USS Hornet foundered at sea in the gale of Sep 5th 1829, and 199 Bibles like this went down with her. This the only one saved. Myself the only person."
It is not known if Fanshaw did print more than 200 Bibles in 1828 during the 118th edition print run; it seems reasonably likely that the entire print run was purchased for the USS Hornet crew, especially as no other copies have surfaced to the market until now with our copy despite people's searching. The copies onboard the USS Hornet were of the 118th edition. 8 copies are listed as held institutionally belonging to the 106th, 111th, 113th, 119th, 122nd, and 124th editions, but there are no known copies held in any institution worldwide of the 118th edition as was onboard the USS Hornet, apart from the single copy which belonged to Lieutenant L.E. Symmonds. Our copy offered for sale here is the only known surviving copy outside of the one in the New York Public Library.
The only close copy which has appeared at auction in all traceable history was at Swann Auction Galleries 21st June 2016 lot 68, where the 109th edition sold for $488 USD; its explained significance being its closeness to the 118th edition. In their lot description they write that their copy is "as close as we are likely to get to the Bible that went down with the Hornet. None others known at auction."
Offered here for sale is the 118th edition as was onboard the USS Hornet. With regard to the provenance of our copy, we do have an important contemporary ownership inscription, where this Bible was given to Harriet N. Jewett by her grandfather, Jacob Jewett in January 1829, a few months before the USS Hornet sunk, and just two months before the ship was last seen. We haven't been able to trace if Jacob Jewett was onboard the USS Hornet, but it's certainly not impossible that he was, and that he gifted this Bible to his granddaughter a few months prior to the USS Hornet sinking and that Lieutenant L.E. Symmonds was unaware that he had done this, hence his inscription that all other known copies were lost. Or, the print run of the 118th edition was greater than 200 copies and this is one of those, but this seems fairly unlikely given that no other copies are known institutionally or otherwise, despite much searching. It's not unreasonable to think that Fanshaw's 118th edition was entirely bought out for the crew of the USS Hornet.
A very significant book pertaining to American naval history. The USS Hornet, commissioned in 1805, was the first ship during the war of 1812 to capture a British privateer.
Hornet's design was a compromise between the six original U.S. frigates and coastal gunboats championed by President Thomas Jefferson. The fledgling Navy needed a light-draft vessel that was fast and manoeuvrable, but also possessing sufficient firepower to deter or defeat enemy ships. Hornet's design is attributed to Josiah Fox, but her builder, William Price, is said to have altered it based on the successful lines of the Baltimore Clipper, of which he had significant experience.
During his time as captain, Chauncey reported significant problems with Hornet's rigging, hindering her overall potential. In response to these reports, Hornet's sister ship, Wasp, constructed at the Washington Navy Yard, had her rigging changed to three masts and afterward reported excellent performance at sea.
The USS Hornet was a very significant ship during the war of 1812, and there is a fantastic account of its doings both prior to and following the 1812 war on its wikipedia page. During the time of the gift inscription in our copy and that in the New York Public Library, the ship seems to have been docked in Pensacola.
The Hornet departed Pensacola for the last time on 4 March 1829, setting course for the coast of Mexico, and was never seen again. On 27 October 1829, the commander of the West Indies Squadron received information that Hornet had been dismasted in a gale off Tampico on 10 September 1829 and had foundered with the loss of all hands.
Size: 115 x 184 mm (approx.)
Condition:
[(2), t.p., 3-837, (2)]
Original full calf binding retaining its original tooled black morocco label. In completely unrestored original condition. The binding is rubbed with the leather dry, but is rather charming for its originality. Shelf and edge wear. Both boards are securely attached, the binding is secure, and the book is without shelf lean.Endpapers edge toned as commensurate with the calf binding. Ownership inscription of 'Harriett' to ffep verso, and the presentation inscription seemingly in the hand of Jacob Jewett is on the verso of the second blank. Text block mildly toned throughout in line with expectation. Endpapers foxed with some small spots of foxing throughout affecting a few leaves, but with the full text without loss of sense. No other writing/inscriptions are throughout the text block. Some dampstaining in the gutter at the final blanks/pastedown not affecting text.
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