The use of the word illuminated refers not to decoration in gold, but both to the high number of illustrations and to the fact the half-titles, title leaves, and the presentation, birth, death, and marriage leaves are printed using colored inks. The pages are 13" x 9".

This Bible was "entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1843, by Harper & Brothers. In the Clerk's office of the Southern District of New York. Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 82 Cliff Street. 1846". A bibliography by the librarian [Margaret Thorndike Hills] of the American Bible Society, New York, in 1962, identified the location of nine copies of the Bible. In 1999, not including the above, I could identify the location of nine more copies.

Signed on Cover gold gilded ALEXANDER VAN VALEN and on Back Cover: SUSAN M VAN VALEN

MARRIAGES:

Married New York April 16, 1844 by Rev. Dr McElroy. Alexander Van Valen to Susan Marie daughter of Josiah & Abby Tallmadge.

BIRTHS:

• Alexander Van Valen born June 25 1819
• Susan Maria Tallmadge born April 9, 1823
• Sarah Maria Van Valen born June 2 1840
• Catharine Eliza Van Valen born Jun 2 1840
• Hester Van Valen born Aug 26 1846
• Louise Van Valen born Aug 26 1846
• Eva Van Valen born Sept 30 1851
• Susan Amelia Van Valen born Apr 8 1853

DEATHS:

• Hester Van Valen died Jul 17 1847, aged 10 mo 21 d
• Louise Van Valen died Feb 12 1848 aged 1 y 5 mo 15 d
• Evan Van Valen died May 25 1852, aged 3 mo 26 d
• Susan Maria Van Valen died Apr 29 1853, aged 20 d
• Alexander Van Valen died Nov 22 1869, aged 49 y 5 mo
• Sarah M Van Valen died Jun 16 1877 aged 32 y 12 d
• Catherine Eliza Van Valen died Oct 18 1906 aged 60 y 4 mo 16 d

OTHER DATES ON VERSO of MARRIAGE PAGE

• Moses Van Valen born Apr 1721
• Hester De Groaf born Jan 8 1721
• Moses married Hester Aug 20 1741
• Guideon Van Valen born Jul 10 1742
• Abraham Van Valen born Oct 16 1744
• Moses Van Valen born Oct 18 1745
• John Van Valen born Oct 22 1747
• Jeremiah Van Valen born Oct 26 1749
• Elizabeth Van Valen born Jan 7 1753
• Daniel Van Valen born Nov 3 1754
• Johannah Van Valen born May 10 1757
• Jacob Van Valen born Jan 29 1759

• Jane Low born Nov 29 1760
• Abigail Devoe born [ ] 1751
• Gideon married (1) Jane Low Jan 24 1786, (2) Abigail Devoe Jan 2 1799
• Geideon Van Valen born Dec 31 1787
• John Van Valen born Feb 16 1789
• Hester Van Valen born Oct 6 1790
• Peter Van Valen born Nov 3 1791
• Abraham Van Valen born Oct 3 1792
• Isaac Van Valen born Oct 3 1792
• Jacob Van Valen born May 15 1794
• Joseph Van Valen born Aug 30 1795
• David Van Valen born Sep 14 1796
• Daniel Van Valen born Jan 27 1798
• Jane Van Valen --------

• Abraham Van Valen born Oct 3 1792
• Sarah Cornelle born Feb 22 1788
• Catherine Duboice born May 4 1800
• Abraham married (2) arah Cornelle Dec 22 1814 (2) Catharine Deboice Jun 13 1831
• Maria Van Valen born mMay 24 1818
• Alexander Van Valen born Jan 25 1819
• Eliza Van Valen born Jul 25 1820
• Esther Van Valen born Dec 23 1821
• Margaret Van Valen born Dec 14 1823
• Sarah Van Valen born Apr 22 1826
• Abraham Van Valen born Jun 21 1829
• Harry D.B. Van Valen born May 27 1832
• John A Van Valen born Jun 20 1834
• George Van Valen born Jul 21 1835
• Joseph Van Valen born Nov 2 1836
• Lewis D.B. Van Valen born Sep 2 1838
• Peter Van Valen born Dec 14 1840

The Contents of the Bible are: 844, 128, 256, [60],[12],(OT, Apocrypha, NT). The 60 miscellaneous pages are: (3) alphabetical table of proper names, (1) Tables & Weights, (8) Chronological Index, (14) Index to subjects, (34) Concordance. There are twelve leaves of plates (12) including: Token page, Engraving 'Healing of Jacob and Joseph', Holy Bible leaf, Title leaf, Contents, Aprocrypha Title leaf, Marriage, Births, Deaths, Engraving 'Christ Healing Bartimeus', NT Colored leaf, NT Title page. And five (5) blamk leaves

The prospectus for this Bible says says:

Complete in about 50 numbers at 25 cents. Harper's Illuminated and New Pictorial Bible. Embellished with Sixteen Hundred Historical Engravings, Exclusive of an initial letter to each chapter, By J.A.[Joseph Alexander] Adams [1803-1880], More than fourteen hundred of which are from original designs, by J.G.[John Gadsby] Chapman [1808-1889]. It will be printed from the standard copy of the American Bible Society, and contain Marginal References, the Apocrypha, a Concordance Table, List of Proper Names, General Index, Table of Weights, Measures, etc. The large Frontpiece, Titles to the Old and New Testaments, Family Record, Presentation plate, Historical Illustrations, and Initial Letters to the chapters, Ornamental Borders, etc., will be from original designs, made expressly to this edition by J. G. Chapman, Esq., of New York. In addition to which, there will be numerous large engravings, from designs by distinguished modern artists in France and England; to which a full index will be be given in the last number [not done]. The Great superiority of early proof impressions, from the Engravings, will ensure in those who take the work in Numbers the possession of it in The Highest State of Perfection

Jonathan Byrd's Rare Books and Bibles refers to this Bible as: "An absolute masterpiece of printing, and one of the ten most important ever printed in America". W. J. Linton, noted wood-engraver and author knew "no other book like this, so good, so perfect in all it undertakes. The illustrations are like picturings of history as are many of the old European Biblical paintings and illustrations".

The engraver, Joseph A. Adams was the first in America to use the electrotype process from woodcut engravings. He was hired by Harper & Brothers on a half-contract basis at $6,000 and he had an arrangement that he would see the whole project through to the end. Artists were engaged for more than six years in the preparation of the designs and engravings at a cost of $25,000.

1,400 of the 1,600 engravings were designed by J. G. Chapman and the prim line-work of the drawings was carefully reproduced by Harper and Brothers. Chapman was paid a little over $2,000 for his drawings.

There are 187 5"x7" illustrations in this Bible. It is mentioned that a total of 1,400 of the 1,600 illustrations (excluding the letters) were done by Chapman. All but forty-three are decorated with an elaborate border. These illustrations were done by unnamed artists from England and France and Chapman added borders (43 exceptions without a border). It's interesting to note that the Chapman borders around the other 145 illustrations are only nine different designs.

The 1,400 illustrations referred to above were done by Chapman. These are set into the text throughout the Bible to depict the verse. 215 of these were placed at the beginning of the chapter in lieu of using a letter. There are 1,361 chapters in the Bible. At the beginning of each chapter Harper inserted a floriated letter to begin the Chapter or an image by Chapman or in some cases (18) no image or letter. There are 1,078 floriated initials that begin 1,078 verses. Each of these letters are different engravings. There are 353 different A's, 210 different T's and 107 different N's. There are no Q's or X's and only 1 V and Z and 3 R's and Y's.

Signature numbering. As mentioned before, the parts were in 4-page signatures. The bound Bibles from 1846 on have the following signature markings:

• The Old Testament: is numbered I through 5O beginning on page 65. A through H is not marked on the first 64 pages. The numbering skips the letter J and is I-Z, Aa Bb Cc to Zz and Aaa Bbb Ccc-Zzz and then 4A 4B 4C to 5O.
• The Apocrypha: is numbered A-Q and 1-16 with the A starting on page 1 and the 1 starting on page 5. J is also skipped here and the letter P is not numbered. In place of P on page 109 is 14.
• The New Testament: is numbered A-Ii and 1-32. The A starts on page 1 (also skips J) and the 1 starts on page 5. The numbering follows X Y Z Aa Bb Cc and for some reason skips the letter V and the letter W in this series.

PROVENANCE

Alexander Van Valen wrote Incidents of a voyage to Califormia, 1849. A dairy of travel aboard tehbark Hersilia, and in Sacramento, 1850, Edited and introduced by Errol Wayne Stevens, Foreward by Martin Ridge and published Los Angeles: Western History Association, 1987. Keepsake for the 1987 Conference of the Western History Association, and keepsake for the Westerners, Los Angeles Corral. Keepsake No 25, 8vo. 44, [2] pp. Frontis, a few figs. Brown pictorial cloth. .

The last picture was found in the Van Valen Bible. The twig, plant, fern or whatever is mounted on a 7" X 4 1/2" laid paper with 24 mm between horizontal lines with no apparent vertical lines. Recenty Alexander Van Valen's journal and correspondence, 38 letters, 85 pp journal 1849-1850 sold at auction for $28,750. The auction was conducted by Cowans Auctions and Historic Americana I wonder if whatever this represents is mentioned in Van Valen's journals. I assume this twig is from around 1849 and has been kept in pristine condition, and must have something to do with Van Valen's gold rush experiences. And I have no clue how this was mounted back then but it sure looks professional. In his journal he also writes about his experience traveling around Cape Horn and visiting many exotic places.

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