Original Douay Rheims - Where to buy?

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I own a few Bibles, I enjoy reading different translations, and really appreciate old Bibles, books that were printed many years ago. I wouldn’t mind getting an original translation Douay Rheims, but the few second hand bookstores I’ve tried have been pretty useless, not really understanding what I wanted.

I’ve seen a website where you can download the original translation in a .pdf file, but I’d much rather get an original book. Just wondering if anybody could recommend a reliable website for such a thing?

Many thanks.
 
Jay3gsm said:
I own a few Bibles, I enjoy reading different translations, and really appreciate old Bibles, books that were printed many years ago. I wouldn’t mind getting an original translation Douay Rheims, but the few second hand bookstores I’ve tried have been pretty useless, not really understanding what I wanted.

I’ve seen a website where you can download the original translation in a .pdf file, but I’d much rather get an original book. Just wondering if anybody could recommend a reliable website for such a thing?

Many thanks.
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Well, I don’t know if you would be interested or not, but you can find a reproduction of the original Douay-Rheims here.:

churchlatin.com/books.aspx?categoryid=18

Hope that helps…
 
These are the ONLY places I know where you can researc online or buy original duplications by special photocopy of the original DR’s bible:
  1. digital.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/etext/bie-idx?type=HTML&byte=54553951&rgn=frontback
This is the original in the original “old english” language.
  1. realdouayrheims.com/
You can either buy these or download them. I bought them and could not be happier.

These are NOT Challoner or Haydock or Knox versions - they are actually Douay-Rheims bibles.

For the second site, be careful, though. They sell a downloadable EXACT PHOTCOPY of an original DR bible, as it existed at the time it was originally printed in the 1600’s.

The other set is still a DR bible, but it merely, and LITERALLY, translates old english into modern english. The translation is NOT a new translation like Challoner or Haydock or Knox. The translator merely put the original english words into modern spelling of those words - nothing else.
 
The original New Testament was published in Rheims in 1582. The original Old Testament was published at Douay in 1609 and 1610. The likelihood of your finding one of these outside a museum is extremely small (which makes the opportunity to purchase a facsimile your best bet).

The Challoner translation was done in the mid-1750s and was the standard translation for 200 years. There are several early 1800s editions available from rare book dealers, most in the $500-$1000 range. It is also widely available in editions ranging in price from a few dollars to a couple of hundred dollars new.

My favorite place to search for old books (aside from haunting bookshops) is used.addall.com/Used/
 
I have the printed original Douai Rhiems Bible by Dr. William von Peters.
It is four printed volumes (8.5" x 11") paperback. It is not pretty.
But the text is excellent, very readable. He has not edited the text
except to change the words from their archaic form to modern english.

It’s available at:
lulu.com
search on his name
William von Peters

The NT is one volume, and the OT is three more volumes.
 
Hi,
Have you all tried the Loreto Publications. They have the DR Bibles( The Real Hardbound) to buy online. Just google their website out.
Joe
 
Check ebay too. Search under Catholic Bible. Most of them that show up are D/R bibles. 🙂
 
To the OP and others,

I assumed the original question was "where can I get an “original translation” DR bible?

If the OP means he wants a DR bible with NO intervening translations since its original publication in the late 1500’s/early 1600’s, then you will have to purchase from the sites I listed above. Ron Conte’s site (lulu.com) is the actual publisher of the second site I listed.

I purchased the downloaded version of the original DR - that is, the original hand-written translation that survived and was professional photocopied so that it appears as though you had acquired one in the 1600’s yourself.

I also purchased a “literal translation” of the original DR - that is the one published by Dr. Von Peters - it is 5 volumes, and the ONLY think that distiguishes it from the ORIGINAL DR of the 1600’s, is the substitution of modern english for old english. No liberties were taken by Dr. Von Peters in his translation.

I know of no other sources (other than several online educational/university sites) where you can actually purchase one for yourself.

All other DR bibles (to the best of my knowledge) that are for sale as books at places such as Loreto, Baronius, etc., are NOT the original DR. These are all DR that have been translated WITH TEXTUAL CHANGES by the translator. That is why they are referred to as the “Challoner” or “Haydock” or “Knox” editions.

I am not knocking any of them - I am merely stating a fact that the last three editions I just mentioned DID result in textual changes to the original DR bible, and those changes were not merely “old english to modern english”.

P.S. I think $20 is a very good buy to obtain an entire original DR bible as a download on your computer that you can pop up to read at any time, and will be able to use Adobe’s search features and other cut/paste tools. Best $20 I ever spent.
 
Rereading the OP, I suppose that what Salvatore 123 says is true. I have some knowledge on obtaining original PRINTINGS of the D/R Bible. I had a 1600 Antwerp edition of the Rhemes N.T. and currently have a 1633-1635 edition of the Cousturier Holy Bible. I have other original editions as well, and am still hunting for others.

First of all, Old Catholic Bibles are INCREDIBLY scarce! :eek: That is simply because they were illegal to own. Original D/R Catholic Bibles were also VERY costly in their day. The original 1582 Rhemes N.T. was a lovely quarto printing, done in France, then exported (at personal peril) to England. It was virtually a death sentence to be caught with one of these Bibles at the time. There was a reprinting in 1600 in Antwerp of the N.T., again a lovely quarto edition, that was exported at great peril to England. They were often seized and burned when discovered. Further, since the printers had so little hope of profit from these Bibles, they were printed in very small numbers. In 1609-1610, the Douay Printing of the complete O.T. in 2 beautiful quarto volumes was FINALLY done. By this time, in the reign of James II, there was a little less rigorous enforcement of the penal laws. Consequently it is not as rare as the first two editions mentioned. However, today, those two volumes, even in fairly poor condition are valued at 5-10k dollars. In the 1620’s there was a small pocket sized D/R N.T. printed in Antwerp (I believe) that was not terribly expensive in its day, although I have never seen one for sale. Lastly in 1633-1635 the final printing of the full D/R was issued. This is also exceedingly scarce. You will find dozens -even hundreds- of original King James Bibles for every ONE original D/R bible.

Surprisingly, with the slim chance an original D/R had of surviving to our own day, some did, thanks to the great veneration with which they were cared for. 🙂

The best place to look for these Bibles is online, and through specialty auctions, especially the more high end type auction houses. Certain high end booksellers also are a good place to look.
 
For an original Douay Rheims (or, more properly, for the Rheims New Testament of 1582), you can contact Estates of Mind in New York, which specializes in rare books. They don’t have this in at this time (unsurprisingly), but are always aware of when books of this sort are auctioned.

The price tag, however, could easily be on the order of a hundred thousand dollars.

If you just want to see one, the Jubilee Museum (Columbus OH) has a complete first edition, and I’m sure other museums have this very rare edition.

Good hunting.
 
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