This bible was published in 1823, and was owned by Henry Selfe of Fonthill Bishop. His inscription is in the front cover when his mother gave it to him in 1827. This bible was a quality book when it was printed. The pages have marbling to their outer edges. The front and back fly leaves are marbled paper. The cover is tooled leather with a very smart cross-hatched embossing, and on the spine elaborate tooling patterns which were gold embossed. The book is in good condition. The covers are all securely bound as are the pages. The leather covering is slightly detached at the top and bottom of the back board, but it still will look fine in the bookcase. But it is for the handwritten inscriptions that it will be treasured. This is from a time when purpose made family bibles did not exist and people wrote in the end papers and the page before the New Testament; and that is what has happened here. Before the New Testament are entries for the daughter, Selina Selfe, and Henry and Sarah Selfe, including their birth and deaths. Then three more entries. On the back fly-leaf are the births of three children and the death of one at a year old. I think these are from the next generation of William Henry Bennett's family. I think the first entry, after the front inscirption for the gift, is for the birth of Selina Selfe, in 1828, which was just after the bible was given to Henry. So these entries have the additional advantage that they would appear to have been entered contemporaneously with the events; not always the case in these bibles. I am afraid that the sale price is slightly higher than my usual top price, because this was on sale at a higher set price, and that is reflected in the re-sale price. But is is well-worth the sale price to any descendant of the Wiltshire farming family.