Customer Reviews

Text Bible-KJV-1611

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3 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a good book, well-made, well-printed, with historically interesting text. If you enjoy reading the KJV, this book will be a pleasure to own. If you are a KJV-only Protestant, this book is required reading.

This book is a 2005 facsimile of the 1833 Oxford University Press rendition of the 1611 first edition, "The Holy Bible, an Exact Reprint Page for Page of the Authorized Version Published in the Year MDCXI." It contains a word for word, line for line, page for page rendition of the 1611 body text of the Authorized Version, according to the 1833 Oxford consensus. There is an informative modern 53-page summary of the history of the English Bible and of the Authorized Version.

The original 1611 Authorized Version went through many subsequent editions and re-printings. The publishers removed typos, added others, greatly expanded the use of italicized phrases, and in general continued in the spirit of the original translators. After 200 years, determining the text of the original 1611 became difficult because copies had deteriorated, and printers and bookbinders had mixed and matched leaves from various printings to repair or edit existing books. By the 1760's there were a number of slightly different text traditions, fixed in place today mostly by the definitive 1769 "Oxford Edition." Most modern "King James Bibles" are based on the 1769 work, almost always with major editorial deletions made by modern editors who pick and choose what to include from that 1769 rendition of the 1611 Authorized Version. Neither the complete 1769, nor the modern condensed "King James Bibles" correspond exactly with the 1611 Authorized Version, as reading this book will easily show.

The body text of this very nice book is printed in 6-point 19th century Roman and Italic fonts, not the original 17th century black-letter and Roman of the first Authorized Versions. The spelling is 17th century, but after ten minutes of reading you'll do fine. It contains the main and the New Testament frontispieces, the illuminated capitals, the running page headings, and the chapter summaries of the 1611. It contains the Epistle Dedicatorie to King James and the preface "Translators to the Reader," the latter in eye-straining 4-point Roman font. It includes the Calendar, the Almanac, the Easter calculator, and readings for holy days and evening and morning prayer, all of these latter in the old black-letter, apparently lifted from an original 1611. It also contains the original 1611 typos (e.g. Exodus 14:10), the idiosyncrasies (LORD vs. LORD), and the shorter list of italicized phrases. These will all be different in a modern "King James Bible."

The body text includes the Protestant Apocrypha (not the Roman Catholic or various Orthodox Apocryphas, all of which are somewhat different). The Apocrypha is included between the Old and New Testaments without comment, and is extensively cross-referenced to the other books by the original translators of the Authorized Version. The other books in turn contain some 102 cross-references to the text of the Apocrypha in the Old Testament, and 11 in the New Testament. Make up your own mind whether contemporary "King James Bible" publishers are justified in deleting these books and the cross-references to them while claiming that their modern printings contain the "complete original text" of the 1611.

This book also contains the marginal notes of the original 1611, which are also usually deleted by modern publishers, or replaced by very different new ones. These notes were included by the original translators who explain in the preface that they provide alternate translations for Greek or Hebrew words that they didn't understand, or didn't agree on. The translators also used them to point out where different original source texts had different but equally-likely wordings for the original scripture. The translators considered these notes very important, and say so at length in their front-matter paragraph, "Reasons moving us to set diversity of senses in the margin, where there is great probability of each." For instance, Romans 3:25: "Whom God hath set forth to bee a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousnesse for the remission of sinnes, that are past, through the forbearance of God," might be also read, according to the translators, "Whom God hath foreordained to be a propitiation...for the passing over of sinnes that are past..." Similarly, Romans 5:17, where, "For by one man's offence, death raigned by one..." could just as well be, "For by one offence, death raigned by one..." And so on.

This book is a medium-sized but perfectly useable Bible, well-enough made for everyday reading. My library copy is bound in nice brown leather soft-cover and is printed on onionskin, with a single ribbon bookmarker. It comes in a stiff yellow cardboard box. It is a good book to own, and is no harder to read than William Shakespeare. If you are curious as to what the Authorized Version originally said, you can pay $4000 for an original 1611, or $25.00 for this one. At the very least, this book will provide you with original source material to compare with any modern "King James Bibles" you might already own.

Students of the many Bible translations on the market be aware: this is a must have.

(By the way, I never knew that it had an almanac in it!)

The old English spelling of the words takes some getting used to, and it does not have nearly the number of cross references that today's KJV Bibles have.

That aside, it is a beautifully printed reproduction of the Bible. It has not only been ranked with Shakespeare's works as the greatest masterpiece of literature in the English language, but also has been the standard version of the Bible most Christians have read for four hundred years.

In a way, it is sad to see a lot people give up reading the KJV because of the archaic language many claim is a stumbling block to reading the Scriptures. But, as translations of the Bible come on the market (nowadays, there seems to be a new one every year or two), the King James Version is still the standard.

I have never given up on a word or phrase that is confusing or hard to understand. It just makes me dig deeper to find the meaning of the passage. Besides, many of the Bible reference books on the market (Strongs Concordance, Vine's Dictionary of New Testament Words, etc.) are published to help those who are willing understand the KJV better. There is, in my opinion, no reason to put the KJV down.

Own a piece of Christian history...buy one today!

If there was a higher score I would give it. No English document in history has had an impact comparable to this work in any of three key areas; Literature, History, or Spiritual. Yet I have the privilege - and others like me - to hold in my hands a copy of one of the earliest issues of this great book. I don't have to go to a University Library or some ancient Monastery and gaze at it through glass. Nor do I have to mortgage my home for the purchase price, though even that would undervalue this book.

It wants a better poet than me to find language for the value of this document. It probably requires someone who has risked his or her life to own a Bible to begin to comprehend its true worth.

Of special interest to historians as well as theologians is the lengthy and detailed section on English Translations that predate the 1611 King James Bible. The Calendars are also a fascinating resource.

With clear, easy-reading type (very much a surprise to me) yet the authentic spelling, sentence structure, organization and footnotes, this volume makes all that wealth readily accessible. I don't use my copy as much as other Bibles I own, for the Old English makes for a challenging read. Yet if I was forced to choose one Bible only, the pull of this one would be intense.

A treasure by any measure I can evaluate it against.

This is an excellent copy of the KJV bible. I have another hardbound bible from this publisher that has taken a 9yr beating and has held up well. By the looks of this one, I would expect the same. What makes this edition so appealing is that it contains everything that the original 1611 version had. The dedication, the full intro to the reader, an almanac, morning and evening prayer readings for the entire year, schedule of lessons, and the Apocrypha. It retains the subject headings,chapter intros, references, and alternate hebrew and greek translations of the original translators. It even has the original artwork. the only difference is that the main text is a modern type face, which I consider a plus, otherwise it would be almost unreadable( it does retain the original spellings). The hardbound version is supplied with a ribbon marker. Highly recommended.

I have known for years that the original King James Version differed from the current version with its standardized spellings adopted in 1769. The precise wording has been edited mildly through several revisions and to finally have a REAL King James version from 1611 in my hand is just a thrill. As an history buff in general and a church history buff in particular I have to say that this is the Holy Grail of English Bibles.

Beware: The classic (and inconsistent) spellings are not easy for most to get used to. For most this will be a coffee table Bible, but if you're comfortable reading late Middle English or early Modern English works, this will be readily readable.

It very quickly became my absolute favorite Bible and I use it daily! This is wonderful when combined with Rite One of the 1979 or the 1928 Book of Common Prayer or other forms of "liturgical" English prayer books and liturgies. I highly recommend this one for the KJV enthusiast, the Bible collector and the Bible reader alike.

Fr. Seraphim

In the course of reading the other reviews, I am reminded that the reformation is still alive and well. Old divisions are as entrenched as ever, exemplified by the vollies exchanged below.

For many here, it seems that the 1611 KJV was the great emancipating translation that delivered England from the grasp of the Vulgate. This is not quite the case. By the time the KJV was finished, England had been blessed with several translations over an 80 year period, including translations by Tyndale, Coverdale, Matthews, and the Geneva. Tyndale, in particular, should be credited most for producing a translation "which even the lowliest of plowboys could read." It should also be noted the over 80% of Tyndale's translation was incorporated in the KJV. Depending on your allegences, he is the true hero, or villian in the triumph of the English Bible.

However, this point should not overshadow the importance of this most welcomed re-publication. Tyndale, himself, said "if any would choose to improve upon my work, let them be welcomed." I believe he would have been awed (and a bit flattered) by the 1611 KJV.

Its setting was amid a struggle between the English High Church and Puritans. Both had their own translations; the Anglican Bishop's Bible and the Puritan Geneva Bible. James' milestone was to include both High Church and Puritan scholars to produce a Bible which all could accept.

He got that and much, much more. It is an absolutely beautiful work of literature. Anybody who speaks English should have this translation. We read and listen to Shakespeare in his original venacular. To truly appreciate the KJV, the same should be observed.

While many in the Puritan camp continued to accuse the KJV of papist leanings, by the end of the century, it was the dominant translation for most English speaking denominations. This unifying element helped galvinize the English mindset and had no small part in forming a world where English is now the international language. Its that important!

For many, the King James Version 1611 of the Bible is the only valid Bible. Interestingly enough, though, most KJV Bibles printed today are not the KJV of 1611, but variations of it: different spellings, some punctuation changes, different words, and most notably, without the Apochrypha. This edition is the real thing: complete, unabridged, no translation changes, and in a sturdy, handy format, and not expensive.

This is a photocopy of the Bible as issued in 1611, somewhat reduced. There are three veils between the reader and the text. Only buy this if you are willing and able to tackle a 17th Century document.

First, the language and scholarship of the translation reflect the situation in 1611. The first edition of the Bible in English without the apocrypha was printed in 1640. 1826 is the date of the present practice of leaving it out most of the time. So this Bible contains the apocrypha.

The study of Hebrew has advanced since 1611. For instance, someone says "Am I a dog-face?" (1611). I had to go to a modern translation to find "Am I a baboon?"

Similarly, words are used in strange ways. Accept, Poll, Hough are words I had to search for. I had to go to the Oxford English Dictionary to find some meanings. You definitely need a good unabridged dictionary to tackle the King James Translation.

Second, this is a real 17th century printing. That is, spelling was not yet standardized. Mee (for me), Bee (for be), Foorth (for forth) are common. A small y with an "e" supercript it used for "the" (as in Ye Olde Shoppe). A final vowel with a horizontal line above it is used to indicate that you need to add an "m". Sometimes the printer runs words together to save space.

Third, there are misprints or typographical errors.

If you are willing to use a dictionary you will be able to get the sense of the text most of the time. Sometimes you will need to consult a modern translation because the meaning does not come across very well. If you are not willing to make these adjustments and read slowly over and over, then this is not a good edition to select. I enjoy it. But it is work.

I have this facsimile reproduction, and find it highly readable and very useful. The binding is outstanding and should hold up to years of use. I was disappointed to find that the text had been reset in Roman type, however. I have a PDF file of an original 1611 edition set in Black (Gothic) type. It, however, is not always readable in all places, as the copy it was made from had seen a lot of wear over the centuries. Does anyone know of an AFFORDABLE facsimile in Black Type? I know of some very expensive ones, but none in my price range, unfortunately.

Taken as a whole, however, this is a beautiful volume.

I am complete satisfied with this reproduction. True it is not full size or crafted in authentic leather ... but guess what? (1) I could not afford such, and (2) it does not detract in any way. This edition places in my hands a piece of sacred history I could have never afforded. Contrary to other reviews I find the text straightforward to read (once I remember that a "v" is a "u" and that a "u" is a "v" plus the symbol for "s"). I am grateful for the scriptures. I am grateful to have this piece of history.