Marking the 400th birthday of the King James Version, Bible, The Story of the King James Version by Gordon Campbell from Oxford University Press tells of politics, religion, translators, printer’s errors, changed lives, the impact the KJV has had on the English language, and more.
Campbell gives a nice introduction to the history of the Bible in English, discussing important translators and versions such as Wyclif, Tyndale, Coverdale, The Matthew Bible, The Great Bible, The Geneva Bible, The Bishop’s Bible, Douai-Reims, and the great impact they all had on the development of the King James Version.
I’ve heard a lot of information about the history of translations, but I don’t always hear about the translation process. This book gives insights on how the KJV was translated. Campbell introduces some of the translators and takes us through their translation process including revision notes, language, style, and he even shows pictures of some work-in-progress documents that includes hand-written notes. I found this section to be very interesting.
Campbell talks about some of the most important and influential KJV Bibles that have been published, including the most important revisions. He discusses the KJV as literature and shows the influence the KJV has today, discussing topics such as the King James Only movement. Campbell does a great job throughout the book showing how the KJV is the most important book in the English language. I highly recommend Bible, The Story of the King James Version by Gordon Campbell from Oxford University Press.
I’d like to thank Oxford University Press for providing a free review copy of this book. I was not required to give a positive review. My opinions are my own.