The Diamond Jubilee and the Fisher's Coronation Collections

With the Commonwealth getting ready this coming weekend to begin the celebration of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee, it gives the Fisher an opportunity to highlight some of its Coronation-related materials.

Among the prized holdings is a handsome souvenir of the Queen’s reign, the so-called Coronation Bible, printed at the Oxford University Press under the direction of Charles Batey in 1953. The composition of the Bible (see image below) actually began in February of 1952, shortly after the death of King George VI; among its many distinguishing characteristics is the fact that the entire book was the work of a single compositor. While the vast majority of the Bibles in this edition were printed on regular paper and expressly intended for pulpit use, an additional twenty-five were printed on Oxford India paper, of which Fisher’s copy is number seventeen. It is, in fact, the copy that was given to the Right Honourable Vincent Massey, eighteenth Governor-General of Canada, who represented the nation at the Coronation. The Bible is most memorable, however, for its striking binding. It was designed by the accomplished engraver and artist, Lynton Lamb (1907-1977),

The Bible complements the other Coronation holdings at the Fisher, images of which can be seen below.