FROM "THE GUN WAD BIBLE " GERMANTOWN PENNSYLVANIA CHRISTOPHER SAUER 1776 HERE IS THE legendary "Biblia Das Ist Die Ganze Gottliche heilige Schrift....Martin Luther..." printed by Christoph Saur in Germantown in Pennsylvania in 1776. Saur Printed 3000 copies of the bible but only 127 were ever bound . Saur fled to Philadelphia around the time of the battle at Germantown between British and Colonial troops. While the British held Germantown, most of the bible leaves remaining in Saur's shop , these later went to auction for a one eye witness put it "less than a quarter of there price of a like quantity of ordinary wrapping paper." These were purchased by a printer from the city, who did not know their value. Instead of having the leafs bound he sold them to be used as cartridge paper HENCE THE NICKNAME OF THIS EDITION AS THE GUN WAD BIBLE! they were used by the British and Colonist for this purpose . Many of the leafs were bought by American John Dunlap, printer of the Declaration of Independence, who purchased the bible leafs for use by the Colonist. and as one historian put it .. "thus what was at first, intended for the salvation of men's souls, proved eventually the destruction of there bodies"