Exhibitions

The Rare Bible Collection @ MOBIA, on long-term loan from the American Bible Society, houses approximately 2,000 Bibles, most printed before 1700. As the most printed book in the west, the Bible—its translation, manufacture, embellishment, distribution, ownership, and use—offers a window into society and culture at particular moments in history.

Volume by volume, Dr. Liana Lupas, the collection’s curator, illuminates these editions’ histories and their cultural significance over time through a program of thematic exhibitions.

Our exhibitions illustrate how printed Bibles, often the first book to be published in a newly settled community, recorded— in some instances preserved— the world’s many languages. Close examination of these rare volumes suggests how Bible printing drove technological innovation, beginning with Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of movable type in the fifteenth century through the advances of the Industrial Revolution including the development of stereographic printing and steam-driven presses.

The exhibitions also highlight the artistry needed to craft an elegant printed book. Page by page, these Bibles illustrate the lead type in various fonts that were created. The woodblock and engraved images demonstrate that the number of copies printed need not come at the expense of a beautiful book.

Above all, the exhibitions make palpable the stories behind these rare Bibles, telling not only who made them, when and why, but—when possible—who used them, when and where.

To explore the history of this unique library, click on the links below.