Reformation Week Sale: Oct 27 to Oct 31
Reformation Heritage Books

This Reformation Week, we are giving away an original 1599 Edition of Calvin’s Institutes This is your opportunity to own an important piece of 16th-century church history.

By entering you agree to the Official Rules.

Antiquarian book
Est. value: $3,000

This 1599 English Institutes is the last edition issued in Queen Elizabeth’s reign and the standard text the Puritans knew in their lifetimes. Printed in London in 1599, it brought Calvin’s mature theology into the hands of pastors, students, and lay readers who shaped the English church and later crossed the Atlantic. The folio scale, rich typography, and enduring influence make this edition a landmark of Protestant thought and English printing.

Ways to Earn Entries

For details on all methods of entry, including by mail, see the Official Rules. Mail-in entries provide the same maximum number of entries available through other methods. No purchase necessary.

  1. 1
    entry

    Sign up with Email

    Sign up with email and receive one entry.

    You must sign up on this page to enter the contest. Unsubscribe any time.

  2. +5
    entries

    Sign up with Phone Number

    Include your phone number to receive five additional entries.

    Msg/data rates may apply. Msg freq varies. Reply STOP to opt out.

  3. +25
    entries

    Write an Essay

    Write 100–300 words on why this book matters to you and submit it here. Each essay earns twenty-five entries. Limit one essay per person.

    Essays will not be judged. All valid essays qualify.

  4. +100
    entries

    Shop During the Reformation Week Sale

    Orders placed between October 27, 2025 and October 31, 2025 earn entries by order subtotal before tax and shipping.

    Order subtotal Entries
    $1 to $49+5
    $50 to $99+10
    $100 to $199+25
    $200++50

    Per order. Max 100 order-based bonus entries per customer.

Reformation Week Sale starts in:

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October 27 to October 31

Entries Open: NOW
Entries Close: Oct 31, 2025 11:59 p.m. ET
Qualifying Sale Window: Oct 27–Oct 31
Winner Selected: On or Around November 14, 2025

About the Book

1599 • London • Quarto

A landmark Elizabethan printing of Calvin’s masterpiece. This 1599 London edition was printed by Arnold Hatfield for Bonham Norton and is the last edition to appear during Queen Elizabeth’s reign. It is the standard English text known to the Puritans, based on Calvin’s final Latin and issued with the newly added marginal summaries, tables of principal matters, and Scripture declarations.

Title • Author • Imprint
The Institutes of Christian Religion, John Calvin, trans. Thomas Norton. London: Printed by Arnold Hatfield for Bonham Norton, 1599. See title page and spine for the original English title: Institution of Christian Religion
Format • Collation
Quarto. Collates complete [11], 412, [87] leaves. Lacks first and final blank leaves only.
Binding
Full contemporary calf with central gilt-tooled lozenge to both boards. Skillfully rebacked with raised bands, gilt decoration, and lettered spine. Handsome restored period binding. A later 19th-century portrait is bound before the title and was not called for.
Condition
Very good, solid and sound. Minor light marks only. Title page laid to thicker paper with small marginal blank loss. Final leaf with marginal paper repair to blank area.
Why it Matters
The last Elizabethan edition and the English Institutes used by Puritan pastors and readers. A touchstone of Reformed theology and English printing.
Valuation
Estimated market value ~$3,000 based on recent dealer and auction comparables.

Gallery

Calvin portrait and title page spread Interior Spread Spine Front Cover

Tap any image to view larger.

Official Rules Summary

  • No purchase necessary. Purchases provide bonus entries. Purchasing is optional.
  • Promotion Period: 12:00:01 a.m. Eastern Time on Oct 27, 2025 through 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Oct 31, 2025. Winner will be selected in a random drawing on or about Nov 14, 2025.
  • Eligibility: Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. states and D.C., 18 years or older. Employees, officers, and directors of Reformation Heritage Books, and their immediate families and household members, are not eligible. Void where prohibited.
  • How to enter: (1) Sign up with email (1 entry); (2) Opt into SMS (5 entries); (3) Submit one essay of Write 100–300 words on why this book matters to you and submit it here (25 entries; content not judged); (4) Place qualifying orders during the Promotion Period (bonus entries by order subtotal); or (5) enter by mail without purchase. To receive entries without purchase, hand-print your name, mailing address, email, and phone on a postcard and mail to: RHB Giveaway, 3070 29th St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512. The first valid postcard counts as 1 entry plus five bonus entries (equivalent to email + phone sign-up); include “Essay AMOE” on an additional postcard to receive 25 entries in lieu of an essay; include "Purchase AMOE" on an additional postcard to receive 100 entries in lieu of purchase. Total entries by all means are limited to 131. Mail-in entries must be postmarked by Oct 31, 2025 and received by Nov 5, 2025.
  • Prize: One 1599 English edition of Calvin’s Institutes. Approximate Retail Value: $3,000. Winner is responsible for all applicable taxes. Prize is awarded as-is, without warranty.
  • Sponsor: Reformation Heritage Books, 3070 29th St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512.
  • Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. Limit one email entry and one SMS entry per person. Total limit of 131 entries per person. Limit 100 bonus entries per person from purchases during the Promotion Period. Automated entries are void.
  • Potential winner will be notified by email or SMS and must respond within three business days. If not timely, an alternate may be selected.
  • By participating, entrants release and hold harmless Sponsor and affiliates from any liability arising from participation or prize acceptance. Winner consents to the use of name, city, and likeness for publicity without additional compensation where lawful.

Read the full Official Rules

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