Bible, Old Testament, Mongolian | Translated by Edward Stallybrass, William Swan, and Robert Yuille. Siberia (Selenginsk and Khodon), 1834–1840

Bible, Old Testament, Mongolian. Translated by Edward Stallybrass, William Swan, and Robert Yuille. Siberia (Selenginsk and Khodon), 1834–1840

4to (256 x 200mm.), Mongolian types, 635 printed leaves, 3 internal blank leaves, manuscript note facing title “The Old Testament translated into the Mongolian language by Edward Stallybrass & Wm Swann at the expense of the British Bible Society. Printed in Siberia”, later half morocco, spine lettered in gilt, rebacked retaining original spine

A BIBLE PRINTING OF THE UTMOST RARITY, and the first such printing in Mongolian.

Edward Stallybrass was sent by the London Missionary Society to Irkutsk in 1818, to establish a mission to the Buryat Mongols of Siberia, one aim of which was to translate the Bible into Mongolian. The Irkutsk location proved unsuitable, and in 1819 the mission moved to Selenginsk, where Stallybrass was joined by William Swan and Robert Yuille. In 1828, apparently due to personal differences, Stallybrass and Swan moved on to Khodon, carrying on their translating work, but leaving the mission press and Yuille behind. The printing of Genesis was completed at Selenginsk in 1834.

The following year Stallybrass and Swan broke off from Yuille altogether and moved the press to Khodon, where, over the next few years, the printing of the Old Testament was completed. The mission came to an end in 1840 when it was suppressed by the Russian authorities. In 1841 Stallybrass and Swan left Siberia for good, leaving behind both the press and most, possibly all, of the remaining copies of the Old Testament. However, as Löwendahl notes, “a few copies of the complete Old Testament were apparently sent to London and bound there”. It seems that the present example is one of those copies.

Because of its unusual printing history, copies are rare on the market. Only the part-copy from the Björn Löwendahl collection has appeared at auction, this containing only Isiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel.

PROVENANCE: Homerton College, inkstamp on title, presentation inscription from the translator “Presented to the Library of the Homerton College as a memento of affectionate gratitude for advantages enjoyed in that institution by Edward Stallybrass (one of the Translators) Hackney Nov. 20 1848); A.I. Ward, bookplate; Igor de Rachewiltz (1929–2016), philologist, historian and specialist in Mongol studies

LITERATURE: Darlow and Moule 1840; Löwendahl, China Illustrata Nova 1755