One of 10 remaining copies of 1631’s Sinners Bible, with its infamous typo imploring readers to commit adultery, is to be auctioned on November 11th
A section of a page from the Wicked Bible of 1631. The section highlights a contemporary typographical error insofar as it omits the word not from the commandment “Thou shalt not commit adultery”. Via Wikipedia
The Wicked Bible, sometimes called Adulterous Bible or Sinners’ Bible, is the Bible published in 1631 by Robert Barker and Martin Lucas, the royal printers in London, which was meant to be a reprint of the King James Bible. The name is derived from a mistake made by the compositors: in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:14), the word not in the sentence “Thou shalt not commit adultery” was omitted, thus changing the sentence into “Thou shalt commit adultery”. This blunder was spread in a number of copies. About a year later, the publishers of the Wicked Bible were called to the Star Chamber and fined £300 (£44,614 as of 2015) and deprived of their printing license. The fact that this edition of the Bible contained such a flagrant mistake outraged Charles I and George Abbot, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Over the centuries, many have speculated what went wrong. Traditionally, it was accepted that the mishap was a mere typographical error. But later, some suggested it may have been sabotage from Barker’s rival, Bonhom Norton. In 1632 Barker had a tainted reputation and no printing license. No doubt it became difficult for him to find work. By 1635, he started slipping in and out of debtors’ prison. He died behind bars in 1645.
Sacred Objects 