Charles Thomson (1729 – 1824) was a Scottish-Irish Presbyterian who emigrated to America in 1739 as a ten year-old boy. An accomplished scholar, importer, and politician, Thomson was chosen as the secretary during the formation of the Continental Congress in 1774. He held this office for fifteen years before embarking on his final venture: perfecting the complete translation of the Greek Septuagint. The text included the first English New Testament to be translated and published in America. Thomas intended to issue the work in the quarto format but was persuaded by Thomas Jefferson to publish it in four octavo volumes. The first three volumes are of the Old Testament, while the fourth volume is the New Testament (Grobel 1943).

Jane Aitken printed the Thomson Bible, and consequently became the first American woman to print the entire Bible. Her father, Robert Aitken, was known for printing the first English Bible in America. After inheriting his business in 1808, she printed the four-volume Thomson Bible (Museum of the Bible 2021). 

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Treatment Overview

• The boards were detached from the textblock and the red-rotted leather covering material was consolidated with 2% Klucel G in isopropanol. The leather along the spine edge was lifted in preparation for rebinding.

• The spine leather was lifted and retained, and the underlying spine linings were removed. 

• The textblock was disbound, and the gatherings were guarded with Golden acrylic toned Hanji 1101 and a 3:1 methylcellulose and wheat starch paste mixture. 

• The textblock was resewn using a three-on abbreviated sewing pattern on two linen cords with 2-ply thread. 

• New endbands were constructed and adhered to the spine, before the book was rebound and rebacked. 

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