Customer Reviews

Church, Monarch and Bible in Sixteenth Century England: The Political Context of Biblical Translation

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The facts are interesting (and well-documented) in this short text, but the author is not the most adept. His careful timeline of Henry VIII's shifting opinion is one thing, but the limited vocabulary doesn't augment the reader's experience. Wait, maybe I should break this up into pro/con time.

Pro:
- There are a number of small political foibles detailed in Mr. Worth's book that are meticulously documented and carefully explained, with context and implications graciously supplied. All of this is done without plodding or other mucking about.
- The most clear-cut parts of history (King James' life is written about elsewhere, often) are left out in favor of the more unusual notes and pieces.
- Mr. Worth has a lot of passion for this work.

Con:
- The book could be a lot longer with more time devoted to unpacking each time period.
- The author is quite fond of the word "hence" and over-uses it.
- The transition from Mary, Queen of Scots to James, King of England was so rushed I didn't quite catch it.
- It feels a little like a hobbyist wrote this book.
- Why didn't the editor catch the increasing number of typos in the second half of the book?

It's a good read, although perhaps not a scholarly one.