1483 RARE incunable complete Bible - Biblia Sacra - with prologues by Jerome, index and amazing pen color rubrication

RARE and PRECIOUS 1483 Biblia Sacra - (Roman Catholic) Latin Vulgate Bible - TRULY printed in the Middle Ages! A real medieval Bible printed BEFORE Columbus was in America! Part of the INCUNABULA - INCUNABLE period (printed about 43 years after the invention of the Printing Press and published BEFORE any English Bible was ever published).

Printed in the year of our Lord, 1483 by Franciscus Renner de Hailbrun in Venetiis (Venice). "Explicit biblia impressa Venetijs per Francisiscu renner de hailbrun .M.CCC.LXXXIII." (please note: Bibles of before 1485 do not have title pages - the name of the printer and the year of printing is found in the colophon at the end of the book of Revelation - see one of the pictures)

This is a quarto size Bible. The first Bible ever printed in Venice is from 1475 (also printed by Fransiscus Renner). The first quarto was printed in 1480 - this is the second quarto edition.

474 leaves (lacks first 2 which are part of the prologue). 2 columns, 50 lines and headline. Gothic letter. Capital spaces with printed (small) guide letter. After printing the Bible was (by a contemporary Venetian artist) rubricated in red and blue letter art. 3-line initials in red and blue alternately begin each chapter. 5-line initials in red and blue begin each book and a 17-line initial in red and blue at the first page of Genesis and Proverbs. Multiple other rubrications/variations/accents/decorations throughout the text.

Additionally this Bible is also bound with the index of Hebrew names in the back, which was present to guide the readers through the long, complex and some-times foreign text of the Bible, therefore already in the Middle Ages the interpretations of Hebrew Names ( Incipiut Interpretationes hebraiucoru nomino) was added to the actual Bible text.

Also various prologues of Jerome present/included as introductions to Bible books and sections.

Condition: Very well preserved. Bound in old worn calf (19th century?). Binding holds well (handle with care as always), leather cracked at the hinges. Clean paper, no tears, no foxing, minor soiling - again amazingly nice for a 530+ year old Bible!!!! Complete Old & New Testament (no title page). Slight trimming to headlines. Some manuscript notes and cancellations on some leaves. Stamp of Heidelberg University on verso of first leave. Red dyed page edges.

Was (among others) previous owned by Mr Albert May Todd a business and politician from the state of Michigan.