This facsimile of the Bible used at Abraham Lincoln's first inauguration on March 4, 1861, and by Barack Obama when he was sworn into office on January 20, 2009 and January 21, 2013, commemorates those historic events. Velvet cover. 5.75"l. x 4"w. x1.75"d. The Bible was originally purchased by William Thomas Carroll, clerk of the Supreme Court, and given to Lincoln to use in his first inauguration, as the Lincoln family Bible was in transit from Springfield, Illinois to Washington, D.C. The cover of this Bible is as new; all other respects this facsimile duplicate the original. The original Bible resides in the Rare Book collection at the Library of Congress.
When Abraham Lincoln reached Washington, D.C. for his inauguration in 1861, his belongings, including his Bible, had yet to arrive. William Thomas Carroll, the clerk of the U.S. Supreme Court, fetched a Bible that he kept for official use. This became the Lincoln Bible. Carroll gave the Bible to his wife, and it is inscribed to her in the front. Mrs. Carroll later gave it to Mrs. Robert Todd Lincoln, the president's daughter-in-law.
The Bible, which was gifted to the Library of Congress in 1928 by Mrs. Lincoln, has considerable wear and fading on the outer velvet covering. As it was not possible to duplicate this wear, this replica is made to look as close as possible to how it would have appeared in 1861. When the Bible was donated, it contained markers at the 31st chapter of the Book of Deuteronomy and the fourth chapter of the Book of Hosea.
This exquisite replica of the Lincoln Inaugural Bible, a 1,280-page, 1853 Oxford University Edition, bears the inscription of William Thomas Carroll, clerk of the Supreme Court, attesting to the fact that this was the Bible used for the inauguration of Lincoln. The velvet-covered volume is framed with brass borders and has a brass clasp, authentic gilded edges, and two ribbon markers. It measures approximately 6 x 4 x 1.75 inches and is bound in burgundy red velvet with gilt edges. The back flyleaf of the Bible bears the seal of the Supreme Court of the United States along with a record of the 1861 inauguration.
Product Dimensions: 4" wide x 2" deep x 6" high
Product Weight: 1.15 lb.
