The “Douay-Rheims” Bible

English New Testament. The New Testament of Jesus Christ.
Rheims: John Fogny, 1582. (00023)

English Old Testament. The Holie Bible Faithfully Translated into English, out of the Authentical Latin.
Douay: Laurence Kellam, 1609–1610.
Two volumes. (00033-00034)

Preparation of an English translation of the Bible appropriate for Roman Catholic readers was initiated by exiles in Douay, France, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. There, and later at Rheims, a group of English Catholics translated the Bible directly from the Vulgate into English, giving traditional readings priority over strictly philological issues. The New Testament alone was published in 1582 and the Old Testament with Apocrypha only appeared in 1609–1610.