Customer Reviews

Visual History of the English Bible, A: The Tumultuous Tale of the World's Bestselling Book

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4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
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I have read this book several times and cannot recommend it highly enough. Dr. Brake's writing manages to be informative while remaining interesting; the book is both factual and lively. The illustrations and stories of the author's personal Bible collecting make the book worthwhile on its own. The history sections are essential reading for everyone who treasures God's Word or who just wants to know how we came to have the Bible in English as it is today. A Visual History of the English Bible is not just for seminary students or pastors; it contains very accessible and important information for today's Christians. I am happy to have a copy on my shelves and think you will be too.

This book provides a fascinating history of the "tumultuous" path of the creation of many versions of the English bible. Not only is the information presented in a lively way, with stories and illustrations, but Dr. Brake also discusses his own stories of how he collected various bibles (this is one of the best parts--as he makes it clear he isn't rich, yet as I read I couldn't help but think "almost thou persuadest me to be a bible collector!") I am sorry that there are a few negative reviews, as this was a well-written book without any religious bias, full of information that I would have to glean from several other books if I had the time. It's all here and beautifully illustrated. I especially enjoyed the discussion of the flawed bibles which are known by their mistakes. Congratulations to Brake for producing this intriguing history in one volume. This is well worth the price and a unique offering among the many books written on the bible. It is also a good companion to Bobrick's book "Wide as the Waters Be."

I wanted A Visual History of the English Bible to be a standout. A book that I spied in a catalog and knew I just needed to read, it deals with a topic I love and in a way that is fresh and compelling. Few readers of the English Bible really understand the history of their Bible and fewer still understand the countless sacrifices that were made to bring it to us. A book like this helps us understand even more what a treasure the Bible truly is and how blessed we are to have it available to us.

In A Visual History of the English Bible, Donald Brake simply tells the story of the English Bible, beginning with the earliest pre-English Bibles and concluding with the multiplicity of modern translations. Of course he passes through John Wycliffe, Martin Luther (whose contribution to the English Bible is undoubtedly greater than most people realize), William Tyndale and his contemporaries, and of course to the men who together translated the King James Version. He pauses to describe many lesser-known Bibles, some of which have little significance but others of which shaped and influenced the translations that would follow. Though this is a topic whose books are often written for the academy, this one is clearly written for a much more general audience. The prose is informal, as reference books go, and relies little on a lexicon unique to the subject matter.

Many references books are oversized--books that are difficult to carry around and sometimes even difficult to read. This title, though, is quite a standard hardcover size. Printed throughout on glossy paper it is exceptionally heavy, but still easy enough to carry and to read. It is wonderfully illustrated in full color. Rarely will a reader go more than two pages without finding an illustration, a photograph or a sidebar containing some kind of interesting and relevant information. The illustrations portray the heroes or villains in the story or display the beautiful Bibles that have survived from antiquity. Many of the photographs even come from the author's collection. In the sidebars the book weaves together the history of the English Bible with the author's quest to establish his own collection of rare antique Bibles. These stories, in which we find the author traveling the world seeking to track down some great treasure, are delightfully geeky but, for that very reason, a great deal of fun. By his own admission, there is a "gentle madness" in the serious pursuit of any collectible and his obsession is readily apparent in the pages of his book. It makes for good reading.

With so much good, this book could have been a standout. Unfortunately, tragically even, the book failed to live up to its promise. I say this with great disappointment as A Visual History of the English Bible could so easily have been one of my favorite books of the year. But sadly, it is hampered by poor writing. The writing is at times mediocre and at other times--too many times--just plain bad. The author relies heavily on the passive voice and includes far too many clunky sentences. Too many times the book launches forward into the future before returning to the past, providing a time line that is very difficult to follow. The writing was such a disappointment to me, especially for a book published by Baker; it is certain atypical for a book with this kind of problem to make its way through Baker's editorial process.

A Visual History of the English Bible is a book that oozes with potential, yet sadly, one that can't quite live up to it (or maybe it just can't live up to my lofty desires for it). Dogged by some poor writing, it offers great information and wonderful illustrations, but often surrounded by substandard prose. This is not to say that it is without value. The information it contains is excellent and there is much to gain from reading it. But it is sad that so much sound substance could be surrounded by so much poor style. In the hands of a good editor this book could have been a standout. But even saying that, I have little trouble recommending it as I know you'll enjoy it, as I did, for its better qualities.

Dr. Brake's A Visual History of the English Bible, gives a clear summary of every period of the Bible since it was written. Captivating narratives bring to life the mountain-peak-persons instrumental in birthing the important periods of the Bible's history, such as Wycliffe, Luther, Tyndale and many others. Writing in a clear style, topics such as textual criticism can be clearly understood by any reader, as also in the final chapter "The People Triumph," persons will be helped in assessing what Bible translation would be best for their personal use and ministry. Abundant full-color illustrations help make the Bible's history live and you will find humor in the author's own experiences in collecting most of the Bible editions presented. Readers will be drawn into the challenges and conflicts of the Bible's history, and they will be thankful that it is so available and readable for us today.

THIS BOOK CAN SERVE AS A GREAT REFERENCE TOOL FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE GOD'S WORD AND WANT TO KEEP AVAILABLE A VERY LIVELY AND KNOWLEDGEABLE HISTORY OF HOW IT HAS COME DOWN TO US TODAY.

I never knew "history" could be so enjoyable or inspirational! "Visual" is an understatement with the author's original charts, stories, photos, and illustrations. Solid documentation and explanations of views varying from the author's, I believe, would even qualify this as a textbook. Textbook sounds "stuffy" but this book is far from stuffy, using the author's life experiences in his conquest to preserve the history of the English Bible. I felt this book was comprehensive, factually accurate, but uniquely entertaining! I believe the reviews of the modern translations will be quite helpful to many readers as it was to me.

Have you ever wondered how we got our English Bible?
Who were the translators of the first English Bible?
When was the first English Bible translated?
Who translated the successive English Bibles?
How did they respond to questions of authority, relevance, and meaning?
What motivated them to take up quill and parchment to translate?
Why were early Bibles burned and translators martyred?
Why was the Bible a "forbidden book"?
What impact did the printing press have on Bible translation?
When did the first completed printed English Bible appear?
The King James Version has been known for many years as the "Authorized Bible". Why is it called the Authorized Bible? What was the first authorized Bible and why was it necessary?
Why did the "church" and the King attempt to destroy the printed Bible?
Did you know that Queen Mary commonly known as "Bloody Mary" was responsible for 290 deaths during her reign?
Did you know that there is a King James version known as the "she" Bible?
Many Bibles were known by unusual nicknames for the way publishers printed certain passages. Among them are the "Breeches" Bible, "Wife-beater's" Bible, "Judas" Bible, "Wicked" Bible, "Unrighteous" Bible, "Murderers" Bible, "Standing Fishes" Bible, "Wife-hater's Bible.
Why are modern translations needed?
Which translation is the best?
Why isn't one translation selected as a universal translation?
You will find the answer to these questions and many more plus other wonderful information about the history of the English Bible in a new book A Visual History of the English Bible: the Tumultuous Tale of the World's Best-Selling Book by Donald L. Brake. Baker books, 2008.
And you will be thrilled to find over 100 illustrations in this beautifully prepared and easy to read book. This book will give you a greater appreciation for your Bible. To say that I highly recommend it, is an understatement.
James F. Scott

Interestingly, most books with predominant visuals are of less value at the scholarly level. While this book is not scholarly in the same way that (for example) Kittel or Keil & Delitzsch would be, it is capable of having something to say to even the well-studied scholar.

I personally found the images of the ancient writings tracing the development to the King James Version (and beyond) to be enlightening and well selected for variety. Chapter 13, The Source for English Translations--The Battle for a Standard Greek Text is, in my opinion, the best of the bunch, but you will not be disappointed at any of the author's viewpoints; Donald Brake's writing is commanding in style and very readable (dozens of examples could be cited, here).

I especially appreciated that, as a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and Veep/Dean at Multnomah College/Seminary (Portland), Brake did not labor on ad infinitum with typical Dallas/Multnomah (Calvinistic) theological bias. Every now and then, his theological bias will peek through, but he is scholarly enough to pull it back in for a more balanced treatment of his theme.

The well thought out "Visual Glossary" (but not visual enough ;^) is very handy, and the footnotes are quite excellent. The book also contains a Scripture Index (but you will probably be surprised at how few scriptural passages are cited, but remember the theme does not well lend itself to proof-texting), and the Index is very complete. If you are like me, you will really appreciate the Bibliography (but I do wish writers would annotate their Bibliographies, a personal preference for me).

You will not be disappointed in this book.

This is a stunningly beautiful book, and definitely worth having. It gives a wonderful overview of the history of the Bible in English, along with some helpful charts and timelines. It also contains pictures of old Bibles from the author's collection.
However, be warned - it is not written well. The flow is often awkward, he contradicts himself many times, and there are times at which it is difficult to understand exactly what he is trying to say.

Poor writing aside, much of the text is clear and readable, the illustrations and the layout are wonderful, the author gives tidbits of information that I've not found in other offerings on the subject, and I consider this book to be a prized part of my personal library on the history of the English Bible.

So if you are interested in learning the history of the English Bible (note, however, that he drops off after the King James Version, with only a cursory discussion of later versions), this is a wonderful book with which to begin your studies.

This is such an amazing book! It takes you through the history of the Bible in such a dynamic way. The author has found a way to draw you into the story. At times, I felt as if I were sitting in the same room with these great men of the Christian faith. I could feel their passion for God's word and began to grasp the enormity of their accomplishments in a way that I never had before. Now, I really "get" the sacrifices that many of them made for my benefit, for our benefit- so that we could have the Bible in English.
I also enjoyed reading about the author's journey in finding his "treasures". I felt like I was right there with him as he made a new discovery!
In addition to the exciting stories, (which I am reading to my children) I'm pleased to have a reliable resource on the subject. My daughter is studying about the Reformation in her school, so this will be an excellent reference book.
Last, but not least, this book is so beautifully designed and photographed. It is unbelievably impressive in the number and quality of photographs and visual aids!! What an amazing Bible collection! I contacted the author and found out that his collection is on display to the public at the Dunham Bible Museum on the Houston Baptist University campus. Road Trip anyone?
I highly recommend this book to people of all ages and backgrounds. It was very readable and inspiring! You won't be able to put it down!

Donald Brake's "A Visual History of the English Bible," is a lavishly illustrated and beautifully produced volume--the ultimate coffee-table book on its subject. The interior designer, Brian Brunsting, deserves an award. However, the text of the book, written by an avid collector of rare Bibles who obviously loves his subject, does not always inspire confidence. The very first chapter, on "Ancient Bibles," contains some misleading statements, and a few downright inaccurate ones. For example, the very first page of this chapter (p. 25) informs the reader, "The earliest known manuscripts of the Old Testament date from the Babylonian captivity in 586 BC." What does the word "known" mean in this sentence? It cannot mean "extant", since as any biblical scholar will tell you, there is not a single surviving biblical manuscript dated earlier than the third century BC. Another example: the very next page says that the Dead Sea Scrolls "dated from the first century BC to the first century AD." In fact, the oldest biblical manuscripts among the DSS (e.g., 4QSamA) date to the third century BC. Also troublesome is that the discusssion of ancient versions in chapter 1 contains no mention at all of the Septuagint and other early Greek translations of the Hebrew Scriptures.

Readers are on much safer ground when they come to the book's main subject. Yet deep into the volume, in chapter 12, one finds a rather odd discussion of the King James Version. While seeking to take a "balanced approach" to this version's merits, Brake seems to be under the impression that the Byzantine family of Greek manuscripts underlying the KJV's translation of the New Testament has serious claim to being a legitimate textual basis for the NT. I don't know of a single NT scholar who would claim such a thing. Without question, the KJV is a monument of the English language and still worth reading for its aesthetic value, but in no way can it be considered a tool for serious study of the Bible. I find it odd, then, that a chart near the end of the book comparing and evaluating modern versions (pp. 293-295) says that the KJV's "accuracy to Greek" (i.e., the Byzantine textus receptus) is "excellent" but fails to note that the Greek being translated is itself INFERIOR to the text established on the basis of manuscripts discovered and published since 1611. The chart also reveals the author's conservative bias (which is obvious enough from the fact that his Ph.D. is from Dallas Theological Seminary and that he teaches at Multnomah Bible College); it accuses the NRSV of having a "liberal" bias. One might counter that the NIV's weakness is its "fundamentalist" bias.

In short: this attractive book is definitely worth perusing, but for the serious student, the text should be checked against more authoritative works of scholarship.