Customer Reviews

The First Book of Moses, Called Genesis (Authorized King James Version) (Pocket Canon)

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The Authorized King James Version of the Bible stands as one of the great works of English literature, its language and rhythms, together with those of Shakespeare, resonating in the language we still speak and write today. It is appropriate and commendable, then, that Grove Press has undertaken the publication of the King James Version in a series of small (4"x5 ¾") , inexpensive, book-by-book paperback editions, known as the "Pocket Canon." The initial publication includes twelve volumes, representing a sampling of the range of writings in the Old and New Testament, each introduced by a contemporary writer.

"The First Book of Moses, Called Genesis" is the first of the books in the Bible and, appropriately, the first of the books in the Pocket Canon series. And while the text itself, being the Authorized King James Version, needs no further commentary, the introduction to this little volume by E.L. Doctorow bears mentioning. In six short pages, Doctorow manages to draw the reader quickly to the literary merit and fascination of Genesis, a book whose stories and narrative strategies have endured for more than twenty-five centuries and continue to illumine and perplex the thoughtful reader. Apart from an early lapse by Doctorow, who claims the King James Version "is the version preachers quote from who believe in the divinity of the text" (thereby ignoring the fact that his claim, when stated this way, applies only to preachers who are both Christian and English speakers), Doctorow thoughtfully and succinctly draws the reader into the Genesis narrative, successfully writing a sort of "pocket" introduction to a little book with unbounded literary and religious value.

If you've never sat down and read the Authorized King James Version, and if you have an interest in the English language and the Bible as literature, the Pocket Canon edition of Genesis is an easy place to begin. If you have, it's still a useful little book because it's so small that you can conveniently carry it anywhere.

The Authorized King James Version of the Bible stands as one of the great works of English literature, its language and rhythms, together with those of Shakespeare, resonating in the language we still speak and write today. It is appropriate and commendable, then, that Grove Press has undertaken the publication of the King James Version in a series of small (4"x5 ¾") , inexpensive, book-by-book paperback editions, known as the "Pocket Canon". The initial publication includes twelve volumes, representing a sampling of the range of writings in the Old and New Testament, each introduced by a contemporary writer.

"The First Book of Moses, Called Genesis" is the first of the books in the Bible and, appropriately, the first of the books in the Pocket Canon series. And while the text itself, being the Authorized King James Version, needs no further commentary, the introduction to this little volume by E.L. Doctorow bears mentioning. In six short pages, Doctorow manages to draw the reader quickly to the literary merit and fascination of Genesis, a book whose stories and narrative strategies have endured for more than twenty-five centuries and continue to illumine and perplex the thoughtful reader. Apart from an early lapse by Doctorow, who claims the King James Version "is the version preachers quote from who believe in the divinity of the text" (thereby ignoring the fact that his claim, when stated this way, applies only to preachers who are both Christian and English speakers), Doctorow thoughtfully and succinctly draws the reader into the Genesis narrative, successfully writing a sort of "pocket" introduction to a little book with unbounded literary and religious value.

If you've never sat down and read the Authorized King James Version, and if you have an interest in the English language and the Bible as literature, the Pocket Canon edition of Genesis is an easy place to begin. If you have, it's still a useful little book because it's so small that you can conveniently carry it anywhere.