1538 Coverdale New Testament [English]: [The New Testament of oure Sauyour Jesu Christ. Faythfully translated, & lately corrected..]. Antwerp, Matthew Crom, 1538 (Colophon). MILES COVERDALE'S NEW TESTAMENT, Tyndale's Prologues, 282 leaves (of 304), lacking 22 leaves at the beginning: (*8 A1, A3-6, A8 (A2 & A7 repaired and included with facsimiles in the box), B8, containing preliminary leaves and Matthew i-xiii verse 28 (first part), supplied in facsimile), 48 lines (plus headline), marginal references, black letter. Upwards of 180 woodcuts, including 134 woodcut illustrations illustrating the Gospels (one in Acts) (out of 153, lacking 21 in Matthew), full page woodcut on R2 recto of Pentecost (beginning of Acts), 21 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS to the Apocalype of Saint John, portraits of evangelists, St. Paul and other epistle writers (those of SS. peter and James full-page), genealogical woodcut (Adam-Nativity of Jesus) on 13 recto (Luke chapter iii), woodcut initials, and tailpieces, M4 torn, M5 stained, some browning and staining. CONTEMPORARY NETHERLANDISH BINDING OF BROWN CALF OVER WOODEN BOARDS, an outer panel of a roo-tooled border with rose and ornamental motif with initials LM, surrounding a central rectangular panel with blank outer sections and at centre a pineapple stamp repeated, arranged vertically (5) on upper cover and vertically and horizontally on the lower. The binding is dated 1546, with a digit placed in the four corners of the central panel of the upper cover, brass clasp fittings and central and corner bosses on covers: lacking clasps. Manuscript strengtheners, head of spine worn, upper cover and spine detached from text block. Housed in a specially made black morocco folding box, the facsimile of the missing leaves inserted in a special pocket, 61/2 x 41/8 inches (16.2x10.5 cm). EXTREMELY RARE TO FIND IN CONTEMPORARY BINDING

From the library collection of Mulberry House, a former rectory of High Ongar church.