Honors the 400th anniversary of the book's publication by telling its dramatic story and exploring its inherent literary excellence and unparalleled influence on English and American culture.

For 400 years the King James Version of the Holy Bible has been the most influential book to be published in the English language. Now Bible collector and expert Donald L. Brake brings to life the fascinating story of its creation and proliferation throughout the English-speaking world. With beautiful and informative photos, illustrations, charts, and sidebars, Brake invites readers to explore the KJV's mysterious beginnings, the men who translated it, the manuscripts upon which that translation was based, the important people and places that influenced its production, and even Shakespeare's involvement in it. In an age where a new translation of the Bible seems to come about every few years, discover what has made the King James Version endure for four centuries.

A classic KJV Bible that looks and feels like the majestic heritage it comes from, with design details including elegant drop caps, line-matched text, and traditional covers.

In celebration of the work of the translators of the King James Bible and the fruit of their labors, the authors of this volume, representing a wide range of disciplines and perspectives, examine the cultural and religious monument that is the King James Bible. After David G. Burkes introduction to the volume, Alister McGrath, Benson Bobrick, Lynne Long, and John R. Kohlenberger III explore in part 1 The World of Bible Translation before the King James Version. In part 2, A. Kenneth Curtis, Barclay M. Newman and Charles Houser, and Jack Lewis investigate The Making of the King James Bible. In part 3 Leonard J. Greenspoon, Cheryl J. Sanders, Lamin Sanneh, David Lyle Jeffrey, and James R. White review The World of Bible Translation after the King James Bible. Paperback. 296 pages.

In this collection of essays, thirty scholars from diverse disciplines offer their unique perspectives on the genius of the King James Version, a translation whose 400th anniversary was recently celebrated throughout the English-speaking world. While avoiding nostalgia and hagiography, each author clearly appreciates the monumental, formative role the KJV has had on religious and civil life on both sides of the Atlantic (and beyond) as well as on the English language itself. In part 1 the essayists look at the KJV in its historical contexts—the politics and rapid language growth of the era, the emerging printing and travel industries, and the way women are depicted in the text (and later feminist responses to such depictions). Part 2 takes a closer look at the KJV as a translation and the powerful precedents it set for all translations to follow, with the essayists exploring the translators’ principles and processes (with close examinations of “Bancroft’s Rules” and the Prefaces), assessing later revisions of the text, and reviewing the translation’s influence on the English language, textual criticism, and the practice of translation in Jewish and Chinese contexts. Part 3 looks at the various ways the KJV has impacted the English language and literature, the practice of religion (including within the African American and Eastern Orthodox churches), and the broader culture. The contributors are Robert Alter, C. Clifton Black, David G. Burke, Richard A. Burridge, David J. A. Clines, Simon Crisp, David J. Davis, James D. G. Dunn, Lori Anne Ferrell, Leonard J. Greenspoon, Robin Griffith-Jones, Malcolm Guite, Andrew E. Hill, John F. Kutsko, Seth Lerer, Barbara K. Lewalski, Jacobus A. Naudé, David Norton, Jon Pahl, Kuo-Wei Peng, Deborah W. Rooke, Rodney Sadler Jr., Katharine Doob Sakenfeld, Harold Scanlin, Naomi Seidman, Christopher Southgate, R. S. Sugirtharajah, Joan Taylor, Graham Tomlin, Philip H. Towner, David Trobisch, and N. T. Wright.

An introductory book that engages the arguments and apologetics of King James Onlyists. The author was a King James Onlyists for ten years and his book is written from out of his experience. He presents 6 KJV only arguments, and then explains the problems with them.

Published on the occasion of two exhibitions, held in 2011 at the Bodleian Library and the Folger Shakespeare Library respectively, celebrating the 400th centenary of the publication of the King James Bible.