Pitts’ Head of Cataloging, Dr. Armin Siedlecki, made an interesting discovery last week in one of the items in the J. Michael Morgan English Bible & Psalmody Collection. The collection includes a first edition of the 1924 English translation of the Greek New Testament by Helen Barrett Montgomery (1861-1934), called the “Centenary Translation” and published by the American Baptist Publication Society. This was the first time a Biblical translation by a woman was published by a major publishing house.

Τhe actual first published translation was that of Julia Evelina Smith (1792-1882), self-published in 1876; the Morgan Collection has 2 copies, one inscribed by the translator!

Armin identified that the Pitts copy (1924 BIBL A) has an important gift inscription on it, signed in 1931 by Lucy W. Peabody (1861-1949), a prominent American Baptist missionary, leader, and advocate. Peabody was a personal friend of Helen Barrett Montgomery, and the two worked together on writing projects and the promotion of missionary activity, advocating particularly for female leadership in missionary activity.

Pitts is proud to preserve and promote access to this book that highlights the important contributions of remarkable American Baptist women.