Holy Bible, 1611 King James Version: 400th Anniversary Edition

I bought this to be a more manageable size Bible to read on a daily basis. I had already purchased the Bible Museum facsimile edition which at 11" × 8 1/2" × 3", is absolutely huge, and weighing in at over 4 pounds, is not exactly practical for daily use. The Zondervan version is considerably smaller, at 8 1/2" × 5" × 2 1/2", and weighs about 1 pound. It is not however a retypeset printing, but rather it's a scaled down version of the Bible Museum version. As such it presents some problems. Since it is just shrunk down, the Gothic Text font is quite a bit harder to read. It would have been better had the printer retooled the Gothic Text font for the smaller edition. I have a page from a quarter folio version that was printed at least 400 years ago, that is actually quite easy to read. Hopefully someone will decide to make a quarter folio version someday. But if you want a smaller easy to carry every day Gothic Text Bible, this is your only option right now. As such irs good points out weigh the bad. Another consequence of it being a scaled down version, is that in the interest of keeping the book a reasonable thickness, the Apocryphal books have been taken out. My only major issue is that when a seller is charging $65.00, for a book, it would be nice if they removed the Books A Million store tag that shows they spent $4.97 for it. It makes me feel a little bit had when a seller does that. So in conclusion, if you want a smaller 1611 version of the Bible this is your only affordable option. An actual quarter folio version printed in 1611, goes for thousands of dollars.

In spite of the somewhat small print (or are my eyes just aging a little more than I want to admit?!) I am very well pleased with this Bible.....except for one thing: for a collector's edition of such a rare text and format, etc, I would have expected that Zondervan would have issued it in a sewed format. No matter how well they are glued, these "hard back" glued (paper back spine) books do not wear well under regular use. Sooner or later they start to deteriorate in the spine, and then the book begins to get loose pages, etc. And, yes, I had hoped to use it for a regular every day working Bible, i.e. to use in my study, devotional, writing, and teaching efforts, as God may enable. I won't go into my reasons, but let's just say that I am keenly disappointed that it isn't what I would call a true hardback production. I have an original 1629 edition, and I have to ask myself that if it had been a paperback type Bible, with hard boards glued on it, would it be here today for anyone to actually own?! I have looked for several years for a true facsimile edition in an affordable, as well as a convenient sized, edition; but I had hoped that when I found it, that it would be bound in such a manner that it would be designed to last for many years to come. Perhaps it may. Time will tell. The price is good; even though Walmart (as of April 20, 2011) is selling them at $4.97! Here is a thought for your consideration: I agree that the so called King James version of 1611 is the best translation thus far of the old Hebrew and Greek texts which were used in its production (which I do accept as the originally inspired texts); and so for those who honestly believe that those old texts are no longer THE inspired texts which God promised to preserve on the earth forever; wouldn't this edition of the King James be the one which has replaced them?! I mean, there are several KJV editions which differ from one another (in minor details, mostly spelling); and if one of them has become the promised edition, wouldn't it be the first one which the translators actually produced? But wait: it was discovered that it had a (printer's) mistake in it before the first edition was even off of the press, so to speak; giving us the first (of many such) 'corrections' (as I said, mostly in spelling); and resulting in the "great he" and "she" editions! But if God was seeing to it that it was translated into the replacement inspired text of His Holy Word, wouldn't you think that He would have intervened, and prevented ANY type of 'mistakes' to be in this particular edition AT ALL; printers' or other wise?! And if He allowed for these slight discrepancies in the English text; wouldn't that strengthen the idea that this particular edition (viz, prior to ANY spelling alterations, etc) would be THE inspired text of today?! Its just a thought. Actually, since I accept it as a descent translation of the inspired original texts (viz, Hebrew and Greek) I do not have a problem with any honest and truly scholarly 'corrections' which have been made over the years. Mind you, I would have preferred that certain Hebrew and Greek words were actually translated, rather than just anglicized, as for example, "church" and "baptism;" and thus avoided certain errors which have disrupted 'Christian harmony' for so long. But even at that, it is still a good translation of those old texts; but it ought not to replace them AS the inspired texts! So it is left up to the expounder, or writer, to clearly explain the full meaning of my two examples. And I suppose it is safe to say, that even those who DO believe the 1611 KJV English Bible is THE inspired text, never the less explain what "church" and/or "baptism" mean when they are preaching or teaching on those subjects to their congregations or classes! (HOW could they NOT do so, and expound on the meaning of the Holy Scriptures?!) So if you must explain; why not use the Hebrew and Greek texts to do so??? Even our Lord read the Scriptures; laid them aside; and said (in effect) Now THIS is what the text MEANS at this point! So, yes; buy it; and use it; and hand it down to your children and grand children as an heirloom....for as long as it may (physically or materially) last! And I hope God will bless you as you do so...and them too, of course. I am proud (and I am sure I should say: thankful) to be able to add this anniversary edition of the beloved old King James Bible to my shelf; and I think you will be too! (It isn't hard to learn how to read the 'Gothic' type with a little practice.) Thank you; and may I please remain your servant in the hope of God's grace in Christ (as Paul wrote); Larry L. Burton

The font really isn’t tricky, it’s just very different being an Old English style that we are not accustomed to. It’s historical, to say the least, but it’s interesting. It is challenging to read, but kind of fun, if you like trying to read such font. An example is the letters U and V are reversed from what we read nowadays. Have fun learning how to read it. It’s almost like a foreign language because of the over 400 year font.

I chose 4 stars as opposed to 5 because, while it's interesting to see the differences between the more modern King James versions and the original printing, the Apocrypha is excluded from this edition, and it's also difficult to read because of the typesetting and certain letters being harder to discern; overall, it's a good though not full-blown great reproduction, and I think it could've benefitted from correction of the errors in spelling, so we could know the actual changes in spelling over time. I like the blackletter type, but at times it's hard to discern letters and the smaller print (in the notes on the side) should've been magnified. What's great is the extra stuff that more modern versions lack, such as the artistically rendered genealogies, calendars, etc.

Zondervan have produced this fascinating facsimile of the first printing of the Authorised Version of the Bible (though it is a quarter of the size of the original). It is printed in black Gothic type and being a quarter size is difficult to read - but by no means too difficult. Apart from the biblical text it contains illustrated genealogies of all the main biblical character and also the Translators' Epistle to the Reader (by Miles Smith). It is interesting to compare this 'ordinary' 17th century writing with the language of the Bible translation itself - what is called 'Biblical English'. This is a fascinating volume to possess and is well produced and an almost unbelievable bargain at £5 from Amazon. Francis J. Harris

I purchased the 400th anniversary edition because it is as close to the original as I can prudently afford for my intended use. It is not a Bible to read daily nor for lengthy time periods but serves me well as a worthy reference to verse and word comparison to any post 1769 edition of the KJV. It does not contain the Apocryphal books of which I have but a passing interest. I would much prefer a copy with larger font size, yet this remains readable with my tired eyes for short periods or with magnification. One becomes proficient reading the Gothic font and spelling peculiarities rather quickly with a little practice and familiarity. I certainly would not recommend anyone, nor would I, purchase this book with the intent of future monetary return although I paid more than some amounts stated here. Would I rather have an original? Absolutely. Would I use an original? Not likely, nor would I allow others. Would I buy this one again? You bet. Did I get what I paid for? Yep, and then some. Is it useful? For me and my purpose, beyond a doubt. As a side note: On occasion, I refer to several Bible translations in my study, yet adhere, yield to, and accept the KJV as final authority among all. I desire a word for word translation and the KJV meets that requirement. I also believe it to be an inspired translation though not in the same sense as the original scriptures. I understand the fact and reasoning publishers have seen fit to offer numerous editions (not revisions) to the translation apart from only four so called revisions ever made which purposed to correct printing errors, typos, change of type font, and to adapt to the first English spelling standard. All of which were completed by 1769. It has never undergone a revision to change context. The NKJV is a new translation not a revision to the KJV.

It is hard to believe the price of this KJV 1611 Bible facsimile. A bigger model goes for about $179. And the full size can cost close to a grand. The pages are scans of the actual pages from an original first edition 1611 Bible. I was a little skeptical at first that it would not be readable due to its reduced page size. But that was not the case. Now if I took my bi-focals off, it's another story. It is like viewing a piece of history as I read the Bible pages as they looked to our forefathers (minus the apocryphal books, of course). The old English spellings takes a little getting used to, but the message of salvation in Jesus Christ is the same, no matter how you spell it. Give it a shot. It's only a few bucks. And you might just get saved in the process.

DOES NOT CONTAIN THE APOCRYPHA BOOKS, MAIN REASON FOR BUYING IT. This is a beautiful book, but I would have paid extra for it to be bigger. It is 5.5 inches wide and 8.5 inches long. PLUS YOU MUST RETURN WITHIN 15 DAYS AND PAY A 15% RESTOCK FEE. They knew this is a bad book and don't stand by it. DONT BUY IT!!

Diese Holy bible gefällt mir gut .nur die Lesbarkeit(die Schriftart) finde ich nicht gut.sonst der Inhalt der Bible ist Vollständig.

I have to thank you for this Bible. It is perfect! I love the olde Englisch and it is beautiful to read. There is no J, it did not exist then. The u and v are swapped. The s looks like an f. If you are looking for a preserved copy of the 1st Edition Original I have to recommend Zondervan for putting this together. This it is a beautiful Bible and has replaced my King James compact. I also had to brush up on my Roman Numerals to find precepts such as Psalms 83 becomes PSAL LXXXIII. Honestly thank you this is incredible.

First of all Apocrypha is not include in this edition. All the Maps, and a letter by King James to the readers the calendar for daily reading (twice a day) and the Genealogies of the Holy Scriptures (that means family tree) (Sketches are too good) where you can all generation from the Adam to Abraham to King David to Jesus Christ and also you can find small introduction and references to all the chapters of Old and New Testament. It was written in Old English,(Note: the word 'S' is look a like 'f' if you don't know to read old English much and some spellings like 'NEW' written as 'NEWE' ) You will experience the original design and Beauty of this Masterpiece. Overall Beautiful Bible. :)

too much good book...though the printing quality is poor...but overall it's a very good book...

the font is so horrible you can barely read it, it's written in some fake wanna be old English style font, i couldn't even read a sentence!! the cover came with black marks and scratches on it. i am sending it back. sorely disappointed as i was looking forward to it as i thought the cover looked so nice. can't even read one sentence !!!!!