{"data":{"description":"Archiving Early America - The First Bible Produced With Type From America","title":"The First Bible Produced With Type From America","post_type":"page","content":"\u003ch2 style=\"color: #ad8431;\"\u003eAn Unusual Relic from the Revolutionary War\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003ePrevious editions of the Bible printed in America were produced from type cast in Europe and shipped to the colonies.The first Bible produced with type cast in America was printed by Christopher Sower, Jr. in Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1776.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eThe foundry Sower set up in 1772 to produce hot metal type was the first of its kind in America. Sower's Bible, using type from his foundry, was printed in Gothic style German during the Revolutionary War.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eSower's print shop, engulfed in the fighting between Americans and the British, was severely damaged during the Battle of Germantown. Although Sower had always maintained a neutral position politically, his property was seized by the American authorities and sold at auction. Unbound pages of the German Bible were sold \"for less than a quarter of the price of a like quantity of ordinary wrapping paper.\"\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eA printer from the city, unaware of their value, in turn sold the pages for gun wadding and cartridge covers to be used by American soldiers. Ironically, what was originally intended for the salvation of men's souls was used to destroy their bodies.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eShown below: Links to a facsimile of the Bible's cover page, plus one of the Bible's original surviving pages. Note that the left-hand corner of this page is scorched, caused — one suspects — during the heat and fury of the battle when Sower's print shop was under siege.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n\t\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"firsth1\"\u003e\u003ca title=\"Image from First Bible Produced\" href=\"/earlyamerica/firsts/image-first-bible-produced/\"\u003eAn image of an Original Page from the First Bible Produced With Type From America\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\t\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"firsth1\"\u003e\u003ca title=\"Title Page from First Bible Produced With Type From America\" href=\"/earlyamerica/firsts/title-page-first-bible-produced-type-america/\"\u003eTitle Page from the First Bible Produced With Type From America\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e","menu":[{"path":"lives-early-america","title":"Famous Lives","submenu":[{"path":"lives-early-america/autobiography-benjamin-franklin","title":"Autobiography of Ben Franklin"},{"path":"lives-early-america/ramsays-life-washington","title":"Ramsay's The Life of Washington"},{"path":"lives-early-america/adventures-col-daniel-boone","title":"The Adventures of Col. Daniel Boone"},{"path":"lives-early-america/true-story-paul-revere","title":"The True Story of Paul Revere"},{"path":"world-early-america/famous-obits","title":"Famous Obits"},{"path":"portrait","title":"Portraits"},{"path":"rare-images/last-men-revolution","title":"The Last Men of the Revolution"}]},{"path":"freedom-documents","title":"Freedom Documents","submenu":[{"path":"freedom-documents/bill-rights","title":"Bill of Rights"},{"path":"freedom-documents/declaration-independence","title":"Declaration of Independence"},{"path":"freedom-documents/u-s-constitution","title":"The U.S. Constitution"}]},{"path":"world-early-america","title":"World of Early America","submenu":[{"path":"bookmarks","title":"Early American Bookmarks"},{"path":"world-early-america/famous-obits","title":"Famous Obits"},{"path":"firsts","title":"Firsts!"},{"path":"rare-images/maps","title":"Maps"},{"path":"rare-images","title":"Rare Images"},{"path":"music1","title":"Music"},{"path":"writings","title":"The Writings of Early America"}]},{"path":"boston-massacre","title":"Boston Massacre"},{"path":"milestone-events","title":"Milestones"},{"path":"early-america-review","title":"The Review"},{"path":"home/teachers-students","title":"Teachers"},{"path":"sitemap","title":"Sitemap"}]},"success":true}