O'Callaghan, Edmund Bailey. A List of Editions of the Holy Scriptures and Parts Thereof Printed in America previous to 1860; With Introduction and Bibliographical Notes. Mansfield Centre, CT: Martino Publishing, nd. Limited Edition Facsimile. ISBN: 9781578981830. [9302]
Gold cloth with black titles, 9 x 6 inches, a few light spots to the covers, liv, [10], 415 clean pp., tight. The original book from which the facsimile was produced has some neat underlining, which, of course, is reproduced here. The top closed page edge has dust spots. Very good. Hardcover.
An undated quality facsimile reprint in fine cloth binding.
Originally published in 1861. A work of great care by the celebrated historian.
This indispensable reference includes Bibles of all languages printed in America previous to 1860. The 54-page Introduction presents a history of Bible printing in America; next is a chart of "Some of the Errors and Variations found in modern Douay Bibles"; and the annotated chronological compilation of Bibles includes those in English, German, Latin, Greek, &c., as well as of American Indian translations of the Bible or portions thereof.
Edmund Bailey O'Callaghan (1797-1880), b. Cork, Ireland; d. New York City. He was a medical doctor, historian, and editor. After completing his medical studies in Paris, he settled in Montreal. He opened a practice and also became involved in the Patriotic movement in Canada, for a time editing their journal the Vindicator.
"Elected to the Provincial Parliament in 1836 he held a conspicuous position in debate for popular rights, took a leading part in the unsuccessful insurrection of 1837, was attainted of treason, fled to the United States...and in 1838 resumed the practice of medicine in Albany, where he edited the 'Northern Light', an industrial journal."
His interest in history and politics led him to master the Dutch language and to seek out original Dutch manuscripts pertaining to land rights in New York state. In 1846 he "published the first volume of 'History of New Netherlands', the first real history of New York State. The result of its publication was the official commission of J.R. Brodhead by the New York State Legislature to search the archives of London, Paris, and The Hague, and to make copies of documents bearing on New York colonial history. These documents were published in eleven quarto volumes (1855-61) under the editorship of O'Callaghan and are a monument of care and ability. In 1848 he was made keeper of the historical manuscripts of New York State, and in this capacity served for twenty-two years.
"He was the first to call public attention to the value of the Jesuit Relations, and read a paper before the New York Historical Society, giving description of their purpose and scope. James Lenox began to collect the scattered copies and the Lenox Library in New York, contains the only complete set or series of printed Jesuit Relations. The Thwaites edition in seventy-three volumes was based on the Lenox set of the French, Latin and Italian texts. O'Callaghan dedicated to Lenox his 'List of the editions of the Holy Scripture and parts thereof Printed in America Previous to 1860'." - Catholic Encyclopedia (1911).
