Customer Reviews

The Holy Bible : 1611 Edition - King James Version

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This King James Version is a word-for-word reprint of the orginial 1611 edition. This bible includes the orginal marginal notes, the "Translators to the Reader" preface and the apocryphal books that have been taken out by modern publishers. So why don't you find out what has been removed for YOUR KJV by buying this glorious reprint?

BOOK REVIEW:

This 1611 Edition of the King James Version of the Bible is just like the modern edition but with old spelling and some things that are not found in the modern edition. As a comparison, these are the openings of the book of Matthew between the two editions:

(BEGIN COMPARISON)

--Modern Edition--

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

1 THE book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

--1611 Edition--

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO S.Matthew

C H A P. I.

1 The genealogie of Christ from Abraham to Ioseph. 18 Hee was conceiued by the holy Ghost, and borne of the Virgin Mary when she was espoused to Ioseph. 19 The Angel satisfieth the misdeeming thoughts of Ioseph, and interpreteth the names of Christ.

T H E booke of the * generation of Iesus Christ , the sonne of Dauid, the sonne of Abraham.

(END COMPARISON)

Here are some pros and cons for this 1611 Edition:

--Pros--

- In addition to the Old Testament and the New Testament, the Apochrypha is also in here
- The old spelling, punctuation, and grammar is in this edition
- The text is set at modern type, so it can be read easily
- There are some footnotes at the sides
- The Bible is in hardcover.

--Cons--

- The pages are too thin; it seems like they can be wrinkled very easily
- The words are small
- The words of Jesus Christ are not in red letters--this is NOT a Red Letter Edition
- Quotes are opened with star symbol (i.e. *) but no * symbol is used to close the quote; this might make it hard for some readers, like myself, to know where one particular quote ends
- This edition is expensive; I recommend getting it through Amazon.com,...

Overall, I recommend this Edition--what a great reprint!

This is a wonderful copy of the old King James text replete with early 17th century spelling, ie., "byt yf ye be obeyssant to our Lorde the Kynge", that sort of thing. The Holy Scriptures are, without a doubt, the most important and influential writings known to man. Absolutely indispensable for one's salvation. Don't trust others tell you what is in the Bible. Men prefer to lie and manipulate the Scriptures to suit themselves. Get your own copy and discern for yourself.

I shopped quite a bit on-line before I bought this bible. I read all the reviews I could find ,and knew beforehand that: 1. It does not have the black letter type which was the original type of the 1611 King James Bible. However, none of the reviews mentioned that : 2. It is missing MANY, ( 48 by my count ) pages from the front of the original 1611 bible. These pages have extraordinarily beautiful woodcuts and include biblical genealogies, maps, charts ,etc. I guess because it would have cost so much more to produce the bible with these. I have a digital facsimile (on CD-Rom) of the 1911 anniversary reproduction by Oxford as my reference.

Now for the good part. For the price, this is a treasure. Much to be valued is the "Translators to the Reader" section which is missing from almost all KB bibles of today and is SO IMPORTANT to help understand the minds and views of these great men. To sum it up, they claimed no exclusivity as to the rights of an inspired version of the bible. In their words, "Now to the latter we answer; that we do not deny, nay we affirm and avow, that the very meanest translation of the Bible in English, set forth by men of our profession, containeth the word of God, nay, is the word of God."

I considered the Vintage Archives KJV 1611 Replica, but I have their Geneva Bible 1560 Facsimile and am a little disappointed in the quality of the printing and paper. I knew with Nelson that the quality would be acceptable and I am not disappointed.

I love this old book! No other more beautiful version of the bible--a gift from God to man!

To the glowing comments already expressed I would just like to add that this Bible also uses the original spellings (which modern editions have all updated) and contains a church calender/lectionary that is very interesting (it includes Roman dates for the months and major astrological events--for time-keeping, not fortune-telling!) A great bible for those who love tradition and history.

Thomas Nelson's reprint (NOT a facsimile, because Nelson has retypeset
the text in roman type to make it easier to read than the original
"gothic") is a gem, and the publisher is to be applauded for
making this volume available to the general public. It is highly
interesting to read the disparagements and slanders which have rained
down upon the grand old 1611 version, an object of hatred for
atheists, Bible correctors, and many Catholics (don't forget that the
Catholics tried to do their worst against the Protestants, too--from
Philip of Spain sending the Spanish Armada to Guy Fawkes attempting to
blow up King James and his Parliament).

Anyway, this is the book that started it all, old spelling
and Apocrypha and all. Before you make up your mind based on what
detractors say about it, get it and read it and make your own
decisions. Who knows? You might even be inspired to LIVE it when
all's said and done.

This is the only word-for-word reprint of the first edition of the KJV, and is also one of the few editions that reprints the Translator's Preface to the Reader (Cambridge University Press publishes a couple of Bibles with the preface), which is alone worth the price of this volume, and the main reason I purchased it. I have also read this edition from cover to cover, and noticed a few minor changes between it and later editions (other than spelling). The only complaint I have is that there are many typos--this edition reprints the original word-for-word, including the typos. Nevertheless, it is a marvelous edition of what is still the best English translation of the Holy Scriptures, and would make a great gift for any KJV lover.

After studying many English versions of the Bible for the last 35 years, and having been involved in the ongoing study of source documents and translations, I highly recommend the KJV for its accuracy.

The KJV is translated from the Textus Receptus and the Masoretic text: documents considered exceptionally reliable for centuries, and, contrary to the arguments used by both KJV Onlyists and those who believe the KJV is less accurate than modern translations: the text of choice for long standing translations into languages other than English (such as the Luther Bible in German).

Numerous documents of questionable origin have been used in the 19th century and on to create the modern versions of the Bible in English. The KJV has preserved (in English) both the meaning and the spirit of the original text. (Too bad no one seems to want to make a word-for-word modern English version!)

An excellent modern, romanized type 1611 edition (despite the fact that this is actually a reprint of an 1911 Oxford edition of the 1611 text). I used to have multiple Bibles with multiple versions, but all I have for Bibles are but this text, and a black leather large-print Cambridge Bible. Of the $400-$500 I wasted on other various Bibles, these two don't take the cake. I believe sincerely that I made the right choice on buying this Bible. I got rid of all the other Bibles I had. Actual antique copies are being sold for thousands of dollars; save yourself a lot more money by buying this 1611 edition by Thomas Nelson.
The only downside I would give to this text is that it lacks the feel of an actual "1611" Authorized King James Bible, but that's merely from a materialistic point of view. Nonetheless, when I read it(despite the various spelling, punctuation, and textual changes compared to a 1769 revision), I pray that the Holy Spirit giveth me the understanding when I read it.
The changes between the 1611 and the 1769 revisions, aren't so much revisions as they are corrections. Don't be fooled by the King James Bible attackers of today and tomorrow. Rather than follow their ignorant philisophies, find out for thyself. I'll finish my review with three scriptures from the 1611 text, and then compare them with a 1769 revision. You will find very little difference.
Beware lest any man spoile you through Philosophie and vaine deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ: Colossians 2:8
Studie to shewe thy selfe approued vnto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly diuiding the word of trueth. II Timothy 2:15
But the anointing which ye haue receiued of him, abideth in you: and yee need not that any man teach you: But, as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is trueth, and is no lye: and euen as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
II John 2:27

This is the best English version of the Bible for the simple reason that it was translated before the "Enligntenent" also known as the "Age of Reason." The Translators used the Received Text from the church of Antioch, rather than the Alexandrain text favored by the "higher critics" such as Westcott and Hort. The Alexandrian text omits the resurrection from Mark's Gospel. The men who translated this Bible didn't question the authority of God's word. They didn't believe that there are two or three Isaiahs. This version was translated before it was considered foolishness to believe in God and miracles. It was translated before Darwin, when learned men still believed that God created man in His own image. It was translated at a time when people viewed the Bible not as a book which contains the word of God, but which IS the Word of God--every single word.