EDWARDS OF HALIFAX - BIBLE; English, Authorized version.

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The Holy Bible, Containing the Books of the Old and New Testaments, and the Apocrypha. An imposing Bible, handsomely bound by Edwards of Halifax in their celebrated "Etruscan" style. The set is unusual in featuring motifs relevant to the contents on all three fore-edges - scenes from the Old and New Testaments - as opposed to the more typical landscapes.Edwards famously almost never signed their bindings and their style was very frequently reproduced by others. This set is cited by Weber in his Annotated Dictionary of Fore-Edge Paintings as "a notable Bible from the Edwards bindery" (Weber 2010, p. 118-9), and it is used as an example in a chapter devoted to distinguishing genuine Edwards bindings and paintings from imitations. The technique of concealing a painting under the gilt fore edge of books was revived in England by William Edwards about 1780. "The Edwards family not only carried on the art, but enlarged it from the mainly floral and heraldic early efforts, with occasional religious scenes and royal portraits, to embrace views of well-known country houses set in landscapes" (Marks, p. 194). They were the originators of the bucolic English fore-edge painting, which became standard in the 19th century. Scholars believe that the paintings were made in Halifax (rather than in London) by artists both within and outside the family and under the supervision of Thomas Edwards. Inspiration for the images was taken from various sources, often engravings appearing in other book

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