Bay psalm book sotheby

New york, 12 april 20 on 26 november 20, sotheby s new york will auction one of the finest surviving copies of the bay psalm book the first book printed in what is now the united states of america. The bay psalm book is one of eleven surviving copies of the tome and is one of the worlds most valuable books. Nov 25, 20 today, sotheby s will auction a copy of the first englishlanguage book printed in america. Nov 15, 20 as the first printed book in america, the bay psalm book was an early harbinger of american independence. The bay psalm book, as it is known, is essentially sacred text to be sung during the liturgy. Nov 27, 20 a copy of the bay psalm book is pictured at sotheby s auction house in new york, november 21, 20. The rare bay psalm book is the first book ever written and printed in what is now the united states. Let bidding begin for the bay psalm book from 1640 the new. Auction catalogs is our bizness with over 100,000 online sales and still counting supplying buyers and sellers from all over the. About 7 inches high and 4 inches wide, it is largely undecorated. Sotheby s, on 28 january 1947 it achieved a higher price than any other printed book sold up to that time. Sothebys, the bay psalm book, new york, 26 november 20. The bay psalm book is the first book to be published in the us, one of only eleven surviving copies of the volume printed in cambridge, ma.

The irrevocable bidder, who may bid in excess of the irrevocable bid, will be compensated based on the final hammer price in the event he or she is not the successful bidder. Bay psalm book from 1640 breaks auction record for printed. The translations are not particularly polished, and not one has remained in use, although some of the tunes to which they were sung. It will go on display in libraries across the united states. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and.

Bay psalm book last updated march 14, 2020 title page of the copy of the bay psalm book held by the beinecke rare book and manuscript library. En route to sothebys, bay psalm book traces nations. In the 1640s, the congregationalist puritans emigrated to massachusetts bay in search of religious freedom. Today, sotheby s will auction a copy of the first englishlanguage book printed in america. David redden, director of special projects and worldwide chairman of sothebys books department, commented. En route to sothebys, bay psalm book traces nations seesaw. Bay psalm book auction smashes record for print book with. Oldest surviving bay psalm book to be auctioned by sotheby. A copy of the bay psalm book is pictured at sotheby s auction house in new york, november 21, 20. The rare book will be auctioned by sotheby s, new york on 26 nov. The bay psalm book is believed to be the first book. Bay psalm book article about bay psalm book by the free. Join david redden director, special projects, and selby kiffer senior specialist, special.

First printed book in america expected to fetch up to. Nov 25, 20 the first book printed in what later became the united states of america is expected to set a world record at auction on tuesday. The book is a metrical psalter, first printed in 1640 in cambridge, massachusetts. While it is not a numismatic work, nevertheless, i thought that this article about what may be the worlds most expensive book would be of interest to readers. The book in question is one of the 1,700 copies printed in the year 1640 by the pilgrims who had come from england and settled in plymouth, massachusetts. Book published in 1640 sets a record at auction the new. A committee of thirty learned elders, including john cotton, richard mather, and john eliot, set about the task of creating a new translation of the 150 hebrew psalms into english and casting the text into verse for singing. The psalms in it are metrical translations into english. The main thing you need to know right now about the bay psalm book is that a copy of it is up for public sale for the first time since 1947. Bay psalm book project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. The 6by5inch hymnal books estimated value was raised by 10 million dollars since the end of last year when we first ran a feature on the sale. Nov 27, 20 an april 20 file photo provided by sotheby s and taken in new york shows what the auction house describes as the worlds most valuable book, the bay psalm book, which is the first book ever. Mar 14, 2020 the bay psalm book is a metrical psalter, first printed in 1640 in cambridge, massachusetts.

Q2r from the bay psalm book remaining at the old south church, showing the unique reading in psalm 69, verse 23 see page 39. Let bidding begin for the bay psalm book from 1640 the. The translations are not particularly polished, and not one has remained in use, although some. The bay psalm book the first book printed in america is. Its sale set a record for a book sold at auction, sotheby s said. The translation of the biblical psalms, the bay psalm book, is seen at sotheby s in new york. Nov 27, 20 the translation of the biblical psalms, the bay psalm book, is seen at sotheby s in new york.

It was the first book printed in british north america. The bay psalm book will be on display from noon to 8 p. Nov 21, 20 the book, on display at sotheby s manhattan headquarters, opened to psalm 23, is physically unimposing. First book printed in america, bay psalms book newslagoon. On november 26 night at sotheby s new york, one of only 11 surviving copies of the bay psalm book the first book printed in what is now the united states of america set a new world auction record for any printed.

The bay psalm book is for american book collecting what the guttenberg bible has been for collecting wordlwide, said bill reese, a major dealer in printed americana. Makholm resigned as historian of the old south church in boston when it decided to sell a copy of the bay psalm book. What you need to know about the bay psalm book christianity. Sothebys the bay psalm book auction catalog 20 ebay. The bay psalm book is for american book collecting what the guttenberg bible has been for collecting wordlwide, said bill reese, a major dealer in. The translations are not particularly polished, and not one has remained in use, although some of the tunes to which they were sung have survived. Thats a wrap the battered bay psalm book is just 6in by 5in, riddled with printing errors and poorly bound. With this app you can read a psalm a day or two or three or 150 with the precise, idiosyncratic spelling and in the actual rhyming english meter translated, composed and printed on this soil in 1640 by our pious and. The book was printed by puritan settlers in cambridge, mass.

W4r from the harvard copy of the bay psalm book, showing a contemporary emendation to psalm 87, verse 6. The whole booke of psalmes, or the bay psalm book, as it is now known, is expected to sell for. First printed book in america expected to fetch up. The finest surviving copy of the bay psalm book the first ever book to be printed in the united states of america will be auctioned in november this year. A book of psalms which is amongst the first books ever printed in america is on the way to become the most expensive book ever sold. Only 11 copies of the bay psalm book survive in varying degrees of completeness. The bay psalm book was not only the first book printed in america, and the first book written in america. An april 20 file photo provided by sotheby s and taken in new york shows what the auction house describes as the worlds most valuable book, the bay psalm book, which is the first book ever. The bay psalm book is a metrical psalter first printed in 1640 in cambridge, massachusetts. It was probably preceded by a small singlesheet production known as the oath of a freeman, of which no copy is extant. The congregationalist puritans who emigrated to massachusetts bay in search of religious freedom quickly set about to translate and produce a version of the book of. Oldest surviving bay psalm book to be auctioned by sothebys. The bay psalm book the first book printed in america.

Published in 1640, the bay psalm book is considered the first book printed in what was then. This little book of 1640 was precursor to lexington and concord, and, ultimately, to american political independence. View auction details, art exhibitions and online catalogues. In addition, sotheby s auction house introduced a bay psalm book app for smart phones that can be downloaded for free. Join david redden director, special projects, and selby kiffer senior specialist, special projects, as they explore the books incalculable significance in advance of its historic auction at sothebys new york on 26 november. The book, on display at sotheby s manhattan headquarters, opened to psalm 23, is physically unimposing.

In advance of multimilliondollar auction, first book. The type of the bay psalm book, unlike the paper, was of english manufacture. As the first printed book in america, the bay psalm book was an early harbinger of american independence. It will be auctioned at sotheby s of new york beginning at 6. The bay psalm book, printed in cambridge, massachusetts, by stephen daye in 1640, was the first book printed by the newly established cambridge press. However, its production, just 20 years after the pilgrims arrival at plymouth, massachusetts, represents a considerable achievement. The bay psalm book was the first book printed in british north america. That recordsetting figure dwarfed the auction prices that other great books achieved at the time. The bay psalm book is a metrical psalter, first printed in 1640 in cambridge, massachusetts. The bay psalm book is valued not only as an object of extreme. Rare bay psalm book goes on view at sothebys the new. Less than a month prior to the sale of the bay psalm book, sotheby s london sold a complete set of the doubleelephant folio of john james audubons birds of american for. Rarest american book at auction fine books and collections.

One of the greatest artifacts of american history, the whole booke of psalmes, commonly known as the bay psalm book, will be auctioned at 7pm on the 26th day of this month at sotheby s in new york. Courtesy, houghton library, harvard university vault stc 2738 3. Selby kiffer, international senior specialist in sotheby s asserted that the bay psalm book is not merely a book but has acquired the status of one of the greatest artifacts of american history. Rare bay psalm book goes on view at sothebys the new york.