1874 HOLMAN PICTORIAL BIBLE & SALESMAN SAMPLE CASE

Updated September 24, 2026

Lot number	136
Auction	Round #2 ~ CENTREVILLE, MISSISSIPPI Van Cleave Family ESTATE
Date	October 1, 2026 at 6:00 PM CDT
Auction house	Bell Remnants
Location	McComb, Mississippi

AVAILABLE FOR SHIPPING or LOCAL PICKUP > Measuring 13" x 10" x 3.75" and weighing 14 lbs within the case, this extraordinary 1874 Victorian traveling salesman’s Pictorial Bible was published by A. J. Holman & Co. of Philadelphia and remains housed within the original custom-fitted wooden carrying case. The volume functioned as a canvassing book through which a subscription agent could present the publisher’s monumental illustrated family Bible, demonstrate the numerous available bindings and record orders for later delivery. Rather than representing several different books, the elaborate variations displayed throughout the front and rear portions relate to one principal publication marketed as THE PICTORIAL BIBLE. Prospective purchasers could examine different colors, heavily embossed cover designs, gilt ornamentation, title arrangements and numbered binding grades before selecting the desired version. Certain options may also have accommodated individualized family names or other personalization. The binding samples are presented as substantial full-size covers and spine panels rather than small swatches, allowing customers to see and handle the actual materials and decorative treatments offered by the publisher. The numerous binding options include deeply sculpted black, brown and blue leather or leather-covered panels with recessed architectural forms, blind-stamped arabesques, gilt floral scrollwork, geometric borders and elaborate Gothic Revival lettering. Titles represented include THE HOLY BIBLE, THE PICTORIAL BIBLE, HOLY BIBLE REFERENCES and BIBLE DICTIONARY AND CITIES OF THE BIBLE. Surviving printed binding codes include examples from the 13, 19, 20, 21, 35, 36, 37, 38, 60, 65, 66 and 70 series, demonstrating the considerable range available. Several covers retain faded pink manuscript labels likely associated with the original sales presentation. The principal exterior binding incorporates deeply embossed and gilt decoration surrounding the title HOLY BIBLE and the designation 13b. E. A hinged pierced-brass hasp belongs to the Bible itself, closing the massive front and rear covers together; it is not part of the wooden case. The book’s exposed spine is deliberately plain, without lettering or applied decoration. The title page identifies the publication as THE HOLY BIBLE, containing the Old and New Testaments, translated out of the original tongues, together with the Apocrypha, Concordance and Psalms; a Comprehensive Bible Dictionary; a concise history of religious denominations; and THE STUDY OF THE WORD OF GOD. Published at Philadelphia by A. J. Holman & Co. in 1874, the title page promotes twelve hundred engravings on steel, wood and in colors, while the separate pictorial sales broadside advertises the finished work as embellished with nearly thirteen hundred engravings. This unusually substantial canvassing volume contains thousands of printed pages rather than only a short selection of samples. Illustrated sections include T

1874 HOLMAN PICTORIAL BIBLE & SALESMAN SAMPLE CASE

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