A Hidden/Found 1537 Matthew’s Leaf

Yesterday, while rummaging through some old boxes looking for packaging materials, I lifted a piece of cardboard from the bottom of a box, and there was a leaf that I couldn’t immediately identify. Intrigued, I noted that it was a folio with 60 lines per column, and that the odd spelling of the word book as “boke” meant that the leaf must be in the 1550 range. I also noticed that the side notes had been “Xed” out; very strange. But my search through Herbert’s Catalogue of English Bibles for 1540-1580 bibles did not produce anything, so I reluctantly looked further back, in the 1540 and earlier range. There, to my utter surprise, I found a matching leaf — 1537 Matthew! Everything fit. So I hastily went to my 1537 Matthew’s Bible facsimile and looked up the page. It was an exact copy. Truly, I have not the faintest idea where I got this leaf from.

I have since read up on this first edition, and have learned many things. See the entry on this site under “Exceptional Items” for more details of this remarkable find. This Item is SOLD