# 45900
[NOTT, Henry] HOWE, William; CHISHOLM, Alexander; BARFF, John
[BIBLE. TAHITIAN] Te Bibilia moa ra, oia te faufaa Tahito e te faufaa apî ra : iritihia ei parau Tahiti.
$1,800.00 AUD
Lonedona : Neia e R. Clay, Sons, e O. Taylor ma, na te Taieti Bibilia i Beritani e te mau fenua atoa i faatupuhia i Lonedona ra i te Matahiti 1804. [London : R.Clay & Sons and O. Taylor, for The British and Foreign Bible Society], 1878. Fourth edition. Thick octavo (225 x 150 mm), contemporary blind-blocked calf (boards a little scuffed, corners bumped), spine titled in gilt TE PARAU A TE ATUA (spine leather dry and worn); speckled edges; endpaper with the ownership signature of Australian Methodist missionary J. C. Jennison, with his notes on the publication history of the Tahitian Bible since the first translation by Nott in 1838, recording that the present volume is the fourth edition (one of 5,000 copies printed) prepared by Rev. Alfred Saville in 1877, ‘the District Committee applied a few corrections and maps were added. A later edition (portable) printed in 1883 [sic. 1884]’; pp [iii], 1164, with 6 colour maps at rear; binding firm, some minor worming at margins of the preliminaries and last few leaves, otherwise very clean and sound throughout.
An early Tahitian Bible with an Australian association, once belonging to South Australian Methodist missionary and linguist Rev. J. C. Jennison, founder the Galiwin’ku mission on Elcho Island.
The first complete translation of the Bible in Tahitian was undertaken by Henry Nott. Published in 1838, it was the first edition of the Bible in any of the languages of Polynesia. A second edition was published in 1847, and a third in 1863. The 1878 edition is the fourth, a revision of Nott’s original translation by William Howe, Alexander Chisholm and John Barff, whose work was apparently (according to J. C. Jennison) superintended by Alfred Saville.
Trove locates two copies of the 1878 edition in Australian libraries (NLA; SLNSW)