The Scio New Testament was the book behind George
Borrow’s The Bible in Spain. Borrow first printed this
controversial vernacular translation of Scripture in Madrid in
the early months of 1837, then distributed the 5,000 copies all
over Spain, ‘playing a daring game’ in the face of
the manifest hostility from the Catholic Church and conservative
authorities.
Peter Missler’s study was published with the generous support of the George Borrow Trust, and brings together everything known about the edition in the way of printing, distribution, sales, costs, trials and tribulations. It establishes for the first time the exact number of New Testaments which Borrow sold over the years 1837–1839, and offers an additional wealth of information on Borrow’s book-peddling expeditions, on contemporary Spanish printing practices and bookselling, on horse-travel and popular literacy, and on the profound spiritual controversy which surrounded the edition. Finally, A Daring Game reproduces for the first time the crucial expense accounts which Borrow sent to his employers of the British and Foreign Bible Society in the course of his peninsular years.
Durrant Publishing, Norfolk 2009, paperback, 350 grams, pp. xvi + 189 + index, 2 maps, 12 black and white illustrations. ISBN 978-1-905946-04-4.
Price: £ 7 (approximately € 8.15 / US $ 11) + postage. For sample chapters and further details Durrant’s website.