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Book/Printed Material The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments Also known as: Lincoln Bible / Lincoln Obama inaugural Bible collection / Lincoln Bible / Obama Bible

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About this Item

Title

  • The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments

Other Title

  • Also known as: Lincoln Bible
  • Lincoln Obama inaugural Bible collection
  • Lincoln Bible
  • Obama Bible

Summary

  • On March 4, 1861, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney administered the oath of office to Abraham Lincoln using a Bible provided by William Thomas Carroll, clerk of the Supreme Court, because Lincoln's family Bible was packed with other belongings that still were en route to Washington from Springfield, Illinois. In the back of the velvet-covered Bible, along with the seal of the Supreme Court, the volume is annotated: "I, William Thos. Carroll, clerk of the said court do hereby certify that the preceding copy of the Holy Bible is that upon which the Honble. R.B. Taney, Chief Justice of said Court, administered to His Excellency, Abraham Lincoln, the oath of office as President of the United States." The 1,280-page Bible was published in 1853 by the Oxford University Press. In the center of the front cover is a shield, made of gold wash over white metal, with the words "Holy Bible" engraved into it. On January 20, 2009, President-elect Barack Obama also took the oath of office on this Bible. On January 21, 2013, Obama again used the Lincoln Bible, along with the Bible belonging to the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. The two Bibles were stacked one on top of the other as the president took the oath of office for the second time. World Digital Library.

Names

  • Bible Collection (Library of Congress)

Created / Published

  • Oxford : University Press ; London : sold by E. Gardner, 1853.

Notes

  • -  For physical description and provenance, see Washington, D.C. Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul. Rare Book Library. Presidential inaugural Bibles; catalogue of an exhibition, 1969, no. 16.
  • -  LC has copy on which President Abraham Lincoln took his oath of office as the 16th president of the United States on March 4, 1861. The ceremony was witnessed by Clerk of the Supreme Court, William Thomas Carroll, who recorded the occasion in the back of this Bible, certified with a U.S. Supreme Court seal on a bright blue paper wafer. This Bible was also used by Barack Obama for his oath of office as the 44th president of the United States on January 20, 2009, and the inauguration ceremony on January 21, 2013. This Bible is also one of the two used by Donald Trump for his oath of office as the 45th president on January 20, 2017.
  • -  Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site.
  • -  LAC ecr 2019-01-15 update (1 card)

Medium

  • [1280] p. ; 15 cm.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • BS185 1853 .O9

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2015656339

Online Format

  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is not aware of any U.S. copyright or any other restrictions in the documents in this collection. However, some of the content may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) and/or by the copyright or neighboring-rights laws of other nations. Additionally, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by privacy and/or publicity rights. The determination of the status of an item ultimately rests with the person desiring to reproduce or use the item.

Transmission or reproduction of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Bible Collection. The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments. Oxford: University Press ; London: sold by E. Gardner, 1853. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/78317681/.

APA citation style:

Bible Collection. (1853) The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments. Oxford: University Press ; London: sold by E. Gardner. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/78317681/.

MLA citation style:

Bible Collection. The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments. Oxford: University Press ; London: sold by E. Gardner, 1853. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/78317681/>.