First Edition of the King James 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 Special Comandement.
London: Robert Barker, 1611. (Prothro B-05)

The “King James Version” originated with the Hampton Court conference in January 1604. Desiring an authoritative English Bible to replace the competing versions of the “Geneva Bible” (1560) and the “Bishops’ Bible” (1568), King James I appointed a committee of fifty-four scholars in six groups to the task of translation, with the stated goal of combining the highest level of scholarly translation with due respect for tradition. In 1609, a smaller committee of twelve editors met in London to revise the manuscript that was submitted to the printers. Although the original 1611 Bible contained numerous misprints, it has endured for centuries as a masterpiece of English prose and biblical scholarship. The large folio lies open to the 23rd Psalm.

B-05KingJamesBible_1000.jpg
The English Bible
First Edition of the King James Bible