This edition of the Bible, printed by John Baskett at the Clarendon Press (a forerunner of the Oxford University Press) in 1717, is commonly referred to as the 'Vinegar Bible' due to a misprint at the beginning of Luke 20, which gives the title of 'The Parable of the Vineyard' as 'The Parable of the Vinegar'. The edition also included numerous typographic errors throughout, leading contemporary critics of the printer to claim that the work was a 'Baskett-ful of errors'.
Modern historians of Bible printing have been more forgiving and have praised Baskett for the clarity of the type and for the use of high-quality paper in the book's production.
The book is believed to have been bound for George I and was one of the books selected by Olwen Hedley in the 1960s as a fine example of bookbinding in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle. Hedley’s ‘Additional Bookbindings’ serve as a supplement to the catalogue of fine bindings compiled in 1893 by the Royal Librarian Richard Rivington Holmes.

Binding information

Contemporary black goatskin binding, with gold-tooling on both sides and spine.

On both sides, an outer triple fillet border, surmounted by a roll of cone-shaped looping vines, surmounted by fleurons and interspersed and filled with dots and stars; in the corners, the crowned monogram of George I (GRRG); in the centre, the arms of George I, surrounded by the garter, surmounted by an imperial crown and lion, with lion and unicorn rampant supporters above a ribbon with the motto: ‘DIEU ET MON DRIOT’.

Sides of both boards gold-tooled with dotted triangular and loop roll.

Spine divided into eight compartments by raised bands, each tooled with dotted triangular and loop roll; all compartments tooled with triple fillet border; second compartment tooled: ‘HOLY BIBLE PT 2’; all other compartments tooled in the centre with the crowned monogram of George I, surrounded by stars, flower-heads and a looping border of swirls, with vine corner tools and a thistle to the right and left sides. Head and tail of spine tooled with dotted triangular and loop roll.

Evidence of (purple?) silk ties on both boards.

Contemporary marble endpapers; all edges gilt.