Dr Chris Jones delivered a public lecture “A ſcandalous miſtake”! Aotearoa’s Wicked Bible and the world of seventeenth-century printing on Friday 6 October at the National Library in Wellington. The lecture formed part of The Friends of the Turnbull Library Public Programme and was preceded by a 15 minute talk by Anthony Tedeschi (Curator Rare Books & Fine Printing, Alexander Turnbull Library), which set the scene with a wide-ranging discussion of Bible errata.
Chris discussed some of the colourful myths that have grown up around Wicked Bibles, but he refuted many claims, including the legend that the printer was taken to court and bankrupted. His recent research in the United States has enabled him to identify another previously unknown copy now in Washington, DC. His National Library paper announced that he has located a total of 24 copies, including the first definitive evidence of a Bible with an additional misprint in the Book of Deuteronomy where the reader is confronted by the “great asse” of the Lord (as opposed to His “greatnesse”). While in Washington, DC, Chris also took part in the podcast “Today at the Museum of the Bible” (https://www.spreaker.com/user/museumofthebible/chris-jones ).
