A ‘Wicked Bible’ for sale

One of the greatest howlers in English publishing history occurred in 1631 when a version of The Holy Bible was published in London with the word "not" omitted from the Seventh Commandment in Exodus XX, 14.

As a result, "Thou Shalt Commit Adultery" appeared in print for the first, and presumably only, time. When the error was discovered, the royal printers Robert Barker and Martin Lucas were hauled before the Star Chamber by order of King Charles I, fined £300 (€421) and deprived of their printing license.

The entire impression of 1,000 copies – of what became known as The Wicked Bible, also referred to as the "Adulterous" or "Sinners' Bible" – was called in and the majority burned. But a few copies survived – believed to be fewer than 10. A copy of this "infamous and extremely scarce" volume will go under the hammer in an auction at Bonhams in London on November 11th with an estimate of £10,000-£15,000 (€14,040-€21,059).