Inscribed by the Editor, in a master-binding of the period: LE NOUVEAU TESTAMENT DE NOTRE SEIGNEUR JÉSUS-CHRIST. - ÉDITION STÉRÉOTYPE, Produit de doux[!] Volontaires. --- EXEMPLAIRE SUR GRAND PAPIER ET DANS RELIURE-DE-LUXE, AVEC UNE PLEINE-PAGE ENVOIR AUTOGRAPHE DE FRÉDÉRIC LÉO à Frédéric-Louis de Mecklembourg-Schwerin. \ FIRST EDITION, LARGE-PAPER COPY IN A SIGNED MASTER-BINDING, WITH A FULL-PAGE AUTOGRAPH-DEDICATION OF FRÉDÉRIC LÉO to Frédéric-Louis de Mecklenburg-Schwerin. \ ERSTAUSGABE, EXEMPLAR AUF BESONDEREM PAPIER UND IM MEISTEREINBAND, MIT GANZSEITIGER HANDSCHRIFTLICHER WIDMUNG VON FRÉDÉRIC LÉO an Friedrich Ludwig von Mecklenburg-Schwerin. . .

°°° FIRST EDITION OF THE FIRST STEREOTYPE PRINTED PROTESTANT BIBLE IN FRANCE, IN A FRENCH MASTERBINDING OF THE PERIOD; FRONT FLYLEAF WITH WHOLEPAGE MANUSCRIPT DEDICATION BY THE FOUNDER OF THE PROJECT - AND BIBLE-MASSPRODUCTION THUS - NORTH-GERMAN EMIGRANT PASTOR FRÉDÉRIC LÉO TO CROWN-PRINCE FRIEDRICH LUDWIG HERZOG ZU MECKLENBURG-SCHWERIN (one of the financers of the project) DATED IN THE YEAR OF PUBLICATION: ''Hommage / À S.A.S. Monseigneur / Le Price héréditaire / Frédéric Louis / de / Mecklenbourg / par Son très-respectueux Serviteur / Frédéric Léo. L (Mecklembourgeois) / Fondateur de l'Institution Biblique Stéréotype / de Paris / Membre . . . / . . . / à Paris le 20 Juin 1813.'' - PAGINATION: . / 1 blank sheet, holograph dedication page, titlepage with engraved coat of arms; 1 page 'Table des Livres du Nouveau Testament', 394 pages on vellum-paper; 2 blank sheets; *) Ornamental crosses at spine, wine-branches at panel-frames, circle-ornaments at inner panel-frames. --- Lutheran Pastor Frédéric Léo from Mecklenburg-Germany was sent as 'pastor-suffragan' of the Lutheran Consistory to Paris in 1811 to spread the protestant view of christianity in the catholic heart of France, and with the support of Frederic Louis Crownprince of Mecklenburg - to whom he dedicated this particular bibliophile copy - raised funds for the massprint of bibles (not only) from the crownprince's former brother-in-law Tsar Alexander I., who himself founded of the 'Bible Society of Russia'. Together with the famous french printer Firmin Didot, who perfectionized the stereotype-printing process to produce a very large number of pages from 1 plate in lasting good quality and economically successful, Léo started the mass-production of Ostervald's New Testament in 1813 which in quality and number by far exceeded earlier stereotype bible-editions in Germany (Canstein/Halle) and England (Stanhope/Cambridge), although not many seem to have survived resp. can be found in trade. This was the initial moment for the mass-production and wide-spread of printed bibles, affordable for 'everyone'. Encouraged by his success in 1816 Léo also initiated a 'Catholic Society for the Distribution of the New Testament' to publish an edition according to the version of Sacy until his 'Institution Biblique Stéréotype' was shut down by the Vatican's condemnation of Bible Societies in 1825. The publishing of protestant as well as catholic bibles also made him a Pioneer of ecumenical christianity. . . - BINDING SLIGHTLY RUBBED, rearpanel slightly scratched, bottom of frontjoint slightly split for 2-cm; A BEAUTIFUL COPY IN ALMOST BEST CONDITION AND WITH THE BEST POSSIBLE ASSOCIATION (until a dedication copy to Alexander I. in his private binding may be discovered); A MILESTONE IN PRINTING-HISTORY. . .…