'Vinegar Bible' holds sweet story for N.S. town
Last Updated: Sunday, June 8, 2008 | 11:49 PM ET
CBC News
The Vinegar Bible contains an antique typographical error. Vinegar should be vineyard. (CBC)A famous Bible with a typographical error has made its way back to Nova Scotia after almost 300 years.
The "Vinegar Bible," so called because it contains a typographical error, substituting vinegar for vineyard in the Gospel of Luke, was unveiled at St. John's Anglican Church in Lunenburg, N.S., on Sunday.
Printed in 1717 by John Baskett, this particular Bible — one of three with the typo — is older than Halifax.
It was first brought to Lunenburg in the mid 1700s by a missionary, and was later bought by Nova Scotia politician and businessman Michael Francklin (1733-1782). It made its way back to England with Francklin in 1772, and while Francklin had it, he wrote 18 pages of handwritten notes in the book.
"For a historian, it's extremely exciting," said church historian George Munroe.
The Bible contains Francklin's family tree and ties together the early years of the parish, the town and the province, he said.
The Bible eventually came into the hands of Richard Luckett, the librarian at Magdalene College in Cambridge, England.
While it may be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, Luckett just wanted $5,000 for it.
"I believe things ought to be where they have the most connections," Luckett said.
Initially there were no takers in the province until Finance Minister Michael Baker, who represents Lunenburg, heard Luckett was willing to sell. He arranged for the province to pay the $5,000.
"Well, we've had a lot of divine intervention in this church and we've had some minor miracles," Munroe said of the 255-year-old building.
It was almost destroyed by fire in 2001, but has been restored.
And in one more full-circle story, the printer's great-, great-, great-, great-, great-, great-, great-grandson, Tom Baskett, lives in Lunenburg.
"I think it's terrific. I think it's absolutely fantastic that it's here," he said.
With files from the Canadian Press
