Navy cloth binding with gilt title on the (repaired) spine .

We provide an in-depth photographic presentation of this item to stimulate your feeling and touch. More traditional book descriptions are immediately available. 

•  Note: This book carries a £5.00 discount to those that subscribe to the F.B.A. mailing list

Please view our photographs for one can see that this is a nicely restored copy. The Historia Ecclesiastica, originally completed by the Northumbrian monk Bede in 731 AD, is one of the most important primary sources for early English history.

George H. Moberly’s 1869 Oxford edition is a respected 19th-century scholarly printing. Because it is printed by the prestigious Clarendon Press in Latin, it was designed primarily for Victorian academics, theologians, and historians.

Moore Bede. Moberly’s volume is noteworthy because it did not just feature the primary historical text; it typically bundled Bede’s Historia Abbatum (History of the Abbots) and his famous Epistola ad Ecgberctum (Letter to Egbert) alongside it. 

 Based on current antiquarian book market trends, the estimated retail market value for this 1869 Clarendon Press (Clarendoniano, Oxonii) edition of Bede’s Historia Ecclesiastica, edited by George H. Moberly, is £55 to £105 GBP. 

The primary factors driving this specific valuation include:

• The Condition (“Fair”): This is the strongest limiting factor for its value. In antiquarian books, “Fair” typically implies all text pages are present, but the binding may have notable shelf wear, bumped corners, fading, or minor splitting.
• Scholarly Relevancy: While an excellent piece of 19th-century Oxford printing, Moberly’s Latin text was largely superseded a few decades later by Charles Plummer’s seminal 1896 critical edition. This keeps the demand focused primarily on casual collectors of Oxford/Clarendon editions rather than modern academic researchers. 
• Binding Type: This edition was standardly issued in a simple publisher’s cloth. If your copy happens to have a high-end, premium upgrade—such as a contemporary full-leather or half-calf binding with gilt edges—the value could lean closer to £75 to £130+ GBP.

Tips for Determining a Final Price

To refine your valuation or prepare it for sale on marketplaces like AbeBooks or eBay, check the following details: 

• The Spine and Hinges: Are the internal hinges cracked or loose? Is the cloth splitting at the edges of the spine?
• Provenance: Look for any interesting bookplates, signatures, or institutional library stamps, which can either add historic appeal or slightly detract from the value depending on the prominence of the owner.