George Grey’s Copy of the First Book Printed in a Vanuatuan Language – The New Testament in Aneityum - 1863

George Grey’s Copy of the First Book Printed in a Vanuatuan Language– The New Testament in Aneityum

-“Intas-Etipup mat u Iesu Kristo, natimarid uja, im natimi imyiatamaig caija.”

-Translated by J. Geddie and J. Inglis.

-Printed in London by William A. Watts for the British and Foreign Bible Society

-1863.

-8vo (195 × 125 mm): Complete [1],TP,index, 381 pp. Original blind-panelled dark calf with blue marbled endpapers and edges by Watkins. Gilt spine title with swear to leather but remaining firm. Internally near fine.

This copy carries an important New Zealand provenance, being inscribed on the front endpaper, “Seymour Thorne George from Sir Geo Grey, Kawau N.Z., 23 Nov 1872.” 

This is the first book  printed in the Aneityum language, and the first New Testament printed in any language of Vanuatu (known as the New Hebridies at the time).  The Islands of Vanuatu lie to the North East of New Caledonia and are inhabited by Melanesian peoples, with Aneityum being the southernmost island of the archipelago.

This New Testament was translated by the Presbyterian missionaries John Geddie (1815–1872), from Nova Scotia, and John Inglis (1808–1891), from Scotland. They worked with Williamu, a native Aneityumese scholar, to developed a writing style and eventually produced this complete translation of the New Testament after nearly twenty years. This is therefore a foundational text marking the beginning of written literature on Vanuatu.

As no printing press yet existed on Vanuatu,  Geddie and Inglis took their manuscript to England. Here, they supervising its printing at the press of William A. Watts,  the London printer to the British and Foreign Bible Society.  This resulting work became the foundation of Presbyterian mission teaching and literacy in Vanuatu, and influenced subsequent translations of the neighbouring languages of Tanna, Erromango, and Efate.

 Sir George Grey (1812–1898) was Governor of New Zealand and one of the great collectors of Pacific and Māori-language books. He maintained his library at Kawau Island, before donating much of it it to the Auckland Public Library.  His nephew by marriage, Seymour Thorne George (1851–1922), later an MP for Rodney, was the recipient of this volume.

Darlow & Moule 1399

£3250