July 2021 Auction Ends Thursday, July 29th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/29/2021
Scarce copy of the Holy Bible that was specially ordered by Russell, Majors & Waddell - the company that founded the Pony Express - to give to each of the riders of their famed mail service. New York: American Bible Society, 1857. Bound in original calf leather boards, Bible is stamped in gilt on front board, ''Presented by / Russell, Majors & Waddell / 1858'', and on spine ''Holy Bible'', with elaborate decorative stamping on boards and spine. With 1,278 double-columned pages as called for. Bible is one of two types given to Pony Express riders, all of which bear the 1858 date on the front cover, and which were originally ordered by the company to give to its wagon crews, and then repurposed for the new Pony Express venture in 1860.
Alexander Majors, one of the founders of the company, was a deeply religious man who not only required each of his Pony Express riders to carry a Bible, but had it delivered to them only after they signed a pledge not to swear, drink or fight with other riders. The riders were also required to abstain from working on Sunday, an unusual practice that allowed them to rest after a grueling schedule of riding 250 miles per day on horseback. Although the Pony Express lasted a mere 19 months from April 1860 to October 1861, the lore of its riders, symbolizing the rugged individualism of the American west, has been emblazoned into the nation's collective consciousness, with these Bibles one of the only artifacts of their noble mission.
A quote in pencil appears on the front pastedown, ''I will do what good I can as I pass along for I may not come this way again'', and a faded inscription appears on the rear pastedown possibly dating the book to 1859. This copy may have been given to one of the wagon riders, although it's impossible to conclusively know. Bible measures 3.75'' x 5.875'' x 2'', well-worn with rubbing to boards and some creasing to spine. Missing first few pages including copyright page, and partial loss to last page. Overall a very good copy with original boards still present and intact.
Scarce Copy of the ''Pony Express Bible'' -- Distributed to Riders of the Famed Old West Mail Service
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