The King James “He” Bible. [The Holy Bible, Conteyning the Old Testament, and the New: Newly Translated out of the Originall tongues: & with the former Translations diligently compared and revised by his Majesties Speciall Comandement. Appointed to be read in Churches.

Item Number: 142486

Imprinted at London: Robert Barker, Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majeste, 1611.

Exceedingly rare and almost complete first edition, first issue of the King James Bible, often considered “the only literary masterpiece ever to have been produced by a committee” with the scarce original title page of the Old Testament. One of only 198 copies produced according to the Brake-Hellstern 2017 worldwide census of King James “He” Bibles, this is number 119. First issue, containing the erroneous phrase “and he went into the citie” in Ruth 3:15, which was corrected to “…she went…” in all subsequent printings, the three lines repeated in Exodus xiv. 16, and other points detailed in Darlow & Moule. Thick folio, bound to style in full modern brown calf with a red morocco spine label lettered in gilt, gilt ruling to the spine in 7 compartments within raised bands, quadrupel edges gilt with flueron cornerpieces, all edges trimmed, text printed in gothic and roman types in two columns within ruled border, calendar printed in red and black. Illustrated with the rare original engraved general title-page by C(ornelis) Boel which has been laid down on thick paper with some text and illustration filled in, some small rust stains to the title which diminish over the following seven leaves, 34 pages of genealogical tables incorporating woodcut illustrations of Adam and Eve, Noah’s Ark, and the Tower of Babel. New Testament title-page with woodcut border, two-page map of Canaan supplied in facsimile, numerous woodcut initials, head- and tail-pieces. Text block in very good condition, binding near fine with a repaired closed tear to bottom fore-edge and A2, several leaves washed, varying degrees of dampstaining along top edge and within gutter of most leaves, top edge trimmed close, variously shaving ruled border and some letters in running headline, especially at front and at rear, six-inch repaired closed tear at bottom edge and Kk4 in Old Testament, small open tear in upper center of New Testament title-page extending into subsequent two leaves (A2 and A3), bottom corner torn away but not affecting text, B1 in New Testament, 2 3/4 inch closed tear at bottom center edge, B2 in New Testament, bottom of fore-edge and corner torn away but not affecting text, X6 in New Testament ; leaf Aa5 in New Testament worn with loss in top edge. Herbert 309 (Darlow & Moule 240); ESTC S122347; PMM 114. Exceedingly rare, particularly in this condition and with the rare original title page.

"From about the middle of the seventeenth century until the appearance of the Revised Bible of 1881-5, the King James' version reigned without rival" (Herbert 319). One of the most influential texts in the English language, Thomas Macaulay anointed it "a book, which if everything else in our language should perish, would alone suffice to show the whole extent of its beauty and power" (PMM 114). The official work of translation was undertaken by nearly 50 scholars over the span of 1604 to 1611, but it can be seen as the culmination of nearly a century of work, beginning with William Tyndale's New Testament translations, and including the bibles of Coverdale and Whitchurch, the Bishops' Bible, the Geneva Bible, and the Rheims New Testament. Commonly known as the Authorized Version, the King James Bible was royally commissioned in the hopes of settling conflicts within the Church of England, between Puritans and Anglicans, as well as in the division between Bibles used by the clergy--the Bishop's Bible--and those used by laymen--the more compact and easier to read Geneva Bible. In 1604 King James gave enthusiastic support to the idea of a new translation after its suggestion by the leader of the Puritan party and President of Corpus Christi College, John Reynolds. The work was completed by nearly 50 translators, divided into six companies, who were each tasked with translating certain sections of the Scriptures. The six companies consulted a variety of works, including Hebrew and Greek sources, as well as the Bishop's Bible for the basic English text, and the Tyndale and Coverdale versions of the Geneva Bible. Although not mentioned, they also borrowed freely from the Catholic translation of the New Testament published in Rheims in 1582. The primary work was completed from 1607-09, and was then sent to a committee of six at Stationer's Hall in London where a final revision took place for the better part of 1610. Two editions of the Bible were printed in 1611 and have come to be known as the "He" and "She" Bibles, for their respected readings in Ruth iii. 15: "he went into the citie," and "she went into the citie." These two versions were printed at two different offices, likely to speed up printing, and the discrepancy lies more in the ambiguity of the passage than perhaps any fault at the hands of the typesetter. While the Hebrew text says "he" went into the city, referring to Boaz, the context of the passage makes more sense with "she", referring to Ruth. While early bibliographers disputed the priority of these two versions, they now "generally agree that the folio 'He' Bible of 1611 is the first impression." (Darlow & Moule, p. 133). Along with the publication of Shakespeare's First Folio, 12 years later in 1623, the King James Bible was extremely influential on the English language and helped shape literary language for generations to come. "No new English translation was produced until the Revised Version of 1881, and the influence of the Authorized Version may best be described in the words of G.M. Trevelyan. 'For every Englishman who had read Sidney or Spenser, or had seen Shakespeare acted at the Globe, there were hundreds who had read or heard the Bible with close attention as the words of God. The effect of the continual domestic study of the book upon the national character, imagination and intelligence for nearly three centuries to come, was greater than that of any literary movement in our annals, or any religious movement since the coming of St. Augustine." (Printing and the Mind of Man, p. 69). "Appointed to be read in Churches," the Great "He" Bible was exposed to public usage (on lecterns) and almost all surviving copies have suffered some manner of damage or loss.