Bible, Czech Biblia Bohemica, first complete Bible printed in the Czech vernacular, Prague, Jan

Bible, Czech. Biblia Bohemica, first complete Bible printed in the Czech vernacular (ie Bohemian), collation: a–g10 h8 i–z A10 B8 C–Z AA BB10 CC8 aa–ll10 mm [*8], 585 leaves only (of 610), double column, 46-7 lines to a page, initial-letters and paragraph-marks supplied in red or yellow, aa1v large initial hand-coloured in red, green and blue, Register printed in red and black, lacking the first quire, b6 and 9, c5 and 6, d3 and 4, e8-10, f1, r10 and mm8, and 3ff. of the register (II, VII and VIII), c4 only partially preserved, about ten other leaves with cut-out or restored margins with some loss of text, many other leaves with marginal repairs or restoration but without loss of text, ee7 torn in text, some headlines shaved, many leaves browned and with stains, some early ink marginalia, later ink annotations on blank leaves at beginning and pencil annotations on some blank leaves regarding missing leaves,19th century sheep, gilt spine laid down, decorative endpapers, edges stained red, a large number of blank paper leaves bound in, modern calf-edged cloth slip-case, Super-Chancery folio (308 x 201mm.), Prague, Jan Pytlik, [Jan] Severin, Johann von Stoerchen, and Mathias vom Weissen Loewen, August 1488.*** First edition of the complete Czech Bible, and the first Bible printed in any Slavonic language. A year earlier in Prague, an anonymous press using a different font had printed a Czech Psalter (GW M36725); in Pilsen, ca. 1475-1476, an anonymous press had produced two editions of the New Testament in Czech, one folio (GW M45676, two copies) and one quarto (GW 45679: one copy, one fragment of 20 leaves).The incunable literature has misleadingly translated the last two publishers' names into German, but in the colophon their names are in Czech, i.e. “Johann von Störchen” is “Jan od apuow”, the equivalent of modern Jan Apek. The colophon explains the status of the financial backers of this historic and very expensive production: "Those eminent men and citizens Master John Pytlík, Master Severyn the Merchant, Alderman for this year, Master John of the Stork, and Master Mathias of the White Lion.First printed translations of the Bible: 1466 German; 1471 Italian; 1477 Dutch (NT) OT in 1525; 1478 Catalan; 1488 Bohemian (cf Czech 1579); 1498 French.Rarity: About 90 copies are believed to exist, most of which are incomplete. GW records 77 copies and fragments in institutions. Apart from this example, only 2 other copies (both incomplete) have appeared auction in the 20th century.Provenance: Dr. Joseph Liboslaw Ziegler (1782-1846), decanus in Chrudim (stamp); Sotheby’s London 17 March 1958 (£80 to Maggs).Literature: Goff B-620; GW 4323; ISTC ib00620000; BMC III 808 (IB.51405); BSB-Ink B-501; Bod-inc B-340E.