Bible: The Story of the King James Version, 1611–2011

by Gordon Campbell

Produced during the lifetime of Shakespeare and Donne, the King James Version of the Bible has long been viewed as the most elegantly written and poetic of the many English translations. Now reaching its four hundredth anniversary, it remains one of the most frequently used Bibles in the English-speaking world, especially in America.
Lavishly illustrated with reproductions from early editions of the KJB, Bible: The Story of the King James Version offers a vivid and authoritative history of this renowned translation, ranging from the Bible's inception to the present day. Gordon Campbell, a leading authority on Renaissance literatures, tells the engaging and complex story of how this translation came to be commissioned, who the translators were, and how the translation was accomplished. Campbell does not end with the printing of that first edition, but also traces the textual history from 1611 to the establishment of the modern text by Oxford University Press in 1769, shedding light on the subsequent generations who edited and interacted with the text and bringing to life the controversies surrounding later revisions. In addition, the author examines the reception of the King James Version, showing how its popularity has shifted through time and territory, ranging from adulation to deprecation and attracting the attention of a wide variety of adherents. Since the KJB is more widely read in America today than in any other country, Campbell pays particular attention to the history of the KJB in the United States. Finally, the volume includes appendices that contain short biographies of the translators and a guide to the 74-page preliminaries of the 1611 edition.
A fitting tribute to the enduring popularity of the King James Version, Bible offers an illuminating history of this most esteemed of biblical translations.

Genres: History, Religion, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Christian, Theology, Christianity

370 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 2010

About the author

Gordon Campbell is a professor, a Renaissance and seventeenth-century specialist with a particular interest in John Milton, and well known for his expertise regarding the King James Bible. His broader interests in cultural history include art, architecture, Biblical studies, classical antiquity, garden history, legal history, historical theology and the Islamic world.

Reviews

[Steve Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I used to tell my students, whether you know it or not the Bible influences you every day (here in the context of North America, anyway). While Campbell might not make such an extreme claim (although I think it's accurate), he has a deep appreciation of how the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible has impacted British and American culture.

Beginning at the beginning, Gordon starts by describing other English translations of the Bible that predate the KJV. He also does some "myth busting" about which Bibles early colonists preferred. He then follows with a someone detailed account of who worked on the KJV translation—there will be some familiar names here for those acquainted with ecclesiastical history of Elizabethan and Jacobean England—and some of the politics involved.

The truly fascinating takeaway here is that there is no single KJV. Original, handwritten manuscripts don't survive, and, in fact, the translation follows other previous translations such as the Geneva and Bishop's Bibles. Changes crept in with different printings. Although the first edition was 1611, even by the end of the century revisions had been made and continued to be made into the eighteenth century. Not all KJVs are created equal!

Campbell also describes how other Bibles: the Revised Version/American Standard Version, the Revised Standard Version, and even the New Revised Standard Version, are technically revisions of the KJV. Translation is a complex process, and Campbell is a reliable guide through it. He has a deep, but not preachy, devotion to it. In his chapter on modern usages, he discusses King James Onlyism, which, in light of what he reveals, has some thinking to do about which KJV they revere.

A solid, and even witty treatment, I recommend this one on my blog: Sects and Violence in the Ancient World.

[Omar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edit: Re-read in 2020. This is an excellent history of the KJV. Everyone who loves the KJV should read it.

Campbell says in the introduction that his purpose in writing this book was to present an "affectionate biography" of the KJV. I thought he succeeded in writing a very fair and balanced history of the King James Version. He just presents the historical facts without bias. Very well done!

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marginalia, Scrivener's errors, and biblical errata. A surprisingly enjoyable history of the KJV.

The Wicked Bible. The Bug Bible. The Judas Bible. The Murderer's Bible. Just to name a few.

This history of the King James Bible is a copy editor's dream/nightmare. Imagine you spend all your time translating the text from ancient languages and multiple sources and try as you might to be true to the text and intent, the typsetter gives you "Though shalt commit adultery." Such is the story of "The Wicked Bible," one of several error filled editions of the King James Bible that were produced, retracted, and shelved over the 400+ year history of the most poetic version of the Bible. The sheer number of aphorisms and turns of phrase that the KJV made standard in the English language is nothing short of astounding (often because of the more formal translations employed)

Campbell walks the reader through the various companies that had a hand in producing trhe KJV and the disputes/debates between/amongst them -- whether to include "modern" (by 17th century standards) words, which books to include, whether certain translations promoted the Catholic vs Protestant tradition, and whether to include notes in the margins to give the reader an understanding of how/why this editorial choice was made.

As the center of Bible production shifted from Great Britain to the US, Campbell ends the book with a fine overview of the American Biblical experience across its many iterations, including the development of the New International Version (more "accessible" but far less linguistically impressive).

All in all, a fine little slice of "Biblical" history.

[Ms. Martian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this history of the King James Version. It was a really accessible yet respectful read on an academic topic, which I always appreciate.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly more detailed in the editing process than I was interested in, but overall very interesting!

[Central · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gordon Campbell is a scholar in his own right. He is a professor at Oxford and Oxford happens to play a central role in developing the most popular translation of the Holy Bible. It was commissioned by King James and came to fruition in 1611.

400 years later, Campbell uses historical documents to chronicle how the King James version of the Holy Bible came to be. It is an amazing look at the development of the most incredible book there ever was.

After reading this book, you realize the importance of the King James version as opposed to other versions and the incredible accuracy it maintained as they went through the process of translating the Bible into English.

No other Bible compares outside of reading the actual Dead Sea Scrolls. This book tells the story behind the translation.

After reading it, my wife graciously bought me the companion book The Holy Bible Quatercentenary (yes that is how you spell it) version. It is how the King James Bible was printed back in 1611 including the original artwork. My special edition came in a case and is absolutely beautiful. The font is harder to read than modern day font and spelling differs from modern day but it is still readable and incredible.

Gordon Campbell also wrote the forward for the special edition Bible. This entire project was commission by Oxford to celebrate the 400 year anniversary of this masterpiece.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why read a book about another book you say? It's all Stephanie's and Lisa's and Nikki's fault for raising the intellectual reading bar off the charts high. And that darn new release shelf at the library. And because it makes me look and feel smarter than I actually am. Way. Smarter. Scriptures. I hear they're amazing when you actually read and understand them. This is something I've always struggled with. Especially the Old Testament. Way too boring. And I love to read. So, I'm learning a little trick to keep myself awake and interested - it's all about the history baby! If you read every line of it it's still boring, like this book on how the KJV came to be, but in between those lines lies the interesting stuff. But hey, that sounds the same as scripture reading, doesn't it.
Huh.
Back to the intellectual drawing board.

[Audrey Breen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An accessible exploration of the compilation, writing and publishing of the King James Bible. Not a religious book, it's a book about the English language. It slows down when it gets to the publishing section, but you can't beat the Sinister Bible where the publisher "accidentally" printed "thou shall commit adultery!"

[JC · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

This was a rather fun read. Campbell is actually tremendously entertaining, with a distinctly charming sense of British (or rather Scottish) humour. He provides a really great history of various English translations that preceded the Authorized Version, including some helpful comments on Old English and Middle English, along with very interesting explanations of Tyndale and Wycliffe. I had no idea that Wycliffe was likely not involved in the actual translating of the version(s) that have come to be associated with his name. In fact the Wycliffite bible was not published in its entirety until the mid 19th century, despite Wycliffe being considered the first one to translate the bible into the English language in full (which is not true).

Jacques Ellul the Christian anarchist (who has become, maybe deservedly, rather unfashionable lately) considered Wycliffe a sort of Christian anarchist of sorts, and certainly Ellul has mentioned the Lollards in some of his writings who took after the anarchic spirit of Wycliffe. But I think the idea of translating the Bible into the vernacular languages of the masses, is a rather subversive thing to do, especially in the context of the late middle ages.

Tyndale was also a great defier of papal authority often considered the father of the English bible, working from Erasmus’ Greek translation of the bible to produce one of the earliest English translations. In fact the KJV borrows phrasing from the Tyndale bible on various occasions. For example phrases like ‘fight the good fight’ and ‘the powers that be’ often attributed to the KJV, actually surface in the earlier Tyndale translation. The defiant spirit of Tyndale persisted in Puritan sensibilities and objections to the future KJV. Campbell writes: “puritans, appropriating Tyndale’s argument, preferred ‘congregation’ to ‘church’, ‘wash’ to ‘baptize’, ‘elder’ or ‘senior’ to ‘bishop’, and ‘minister’ to ‘priest’”. Apparently Thomas More detested Tyndale calling him a 'Lutheran', which Campbell points out he was.

While Campbell points out that there is no evidence that the Geneva Bible was brought with the first Mayflower Puritans (the 1588 one is a fake) and that the Geneva Bible became the translation of choice for the Puritan faction in England, the KJV became the preferred translation of American colonizers, many of which were of course Puritans. Interestingly there were a couple of Puritans among the highly esteemed KJV translation team. All this talk about the mixed legacy of Puritanism reminds me that I have to get to Christopher Hill’s “Puritanism and Revolution” some time which has been sitting on my shelf for a couple years now, and also finish J. Sakai's Settlers which I haven't touched in some months.

There’s a great story that Campbell tells of the Geneva Bible, of which King James was not fond, especially for example regarding annotations like those in the story of the midwives disobeying Pharaoh by not participating in his genocide, where the annotation reads that their disobedience of Pharaoh was lawful. In fact any biblical commentary included under the scriptural texts were considered subversive and disfavoured by the British monarchy at the time. There’s a fascinating anti-monarchical sentiment and resistance against oppression and tyranny that laces its way through the Geneva bible which I find extremely fascinating. Reminds me that I also have to get to Roland Boer’s book on Calvin some time.

Campbell also has a fantastic section on all the printers’ errors (some deliberate acts of sabotage) that plagued so many publication editions of the KJV, including the ‘Wicked Bible’ which mandated adultery by writing “Thou shalt commit adultery.” So despite the fact that the KJV was originally published in 1611, the text was not fully stabilized until 1769 with Blayney’s Oxford folio.

There are so many other fascinating things in here. I decided to read this after discussing English bible translations with an evangelical friend, and it provided a lot of good material that I could bring up in conversation. Lots of great cocktail party type stories in here, haha, which is precisely the sort of reading I enjoy, especially where it concerns religion.

[Glenn E · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Googled The Bible. I wanted to plod through it just for historical reference and actually read it myself - page by page - instead of being "taught" it.

I still haven't quite forced myself to beat that dead horse ( The Bible) just yet, but I've noted Catholic stories, my whole life, so why not read this one?

The Bible itself is the same story, over and over, and over, and over until the dull drum of monotonous repetition, stand up & sit down becomes deafening. Sure there's a bunch of confusing interpretations of this Rap Song about The Man, but it's still the same original song and story interpreted by how the listener sees fit to support their own narrative.

However, this book is a story about the "Business of the Bible". It's wild unto itself... So spoiler alert... Here's my Cliff Notes version. Note: any errors in my train of thought are just because it took a great deal of mental effort and "foggy" reinforcement to force myself to continue on with this dreadful story of the story. ...so here's my recap spoken "out loud" to my Word Processor from my memory as if I were just discussing this story out loud with a friend and pasted therewith below:

"Moses had a story, and he told his story in the language of verbal speech. That story continued for many, many generations. And was subsequently written. It was written in the first language and told for many generations. And then? A new story. Based upon the old. But created with a new future and the new version. Was started in another language. But that story was set in a time in 40 years in the past from the initial writer. That story was told for many, many generations in another language. Till in the 16th century. It started to form into words, written speech that we recognized today. The language continued to be spoken aloud. Until the formalized printing of the Gutenberg Bible. The initial. Spoken word. Was spoken in a manner such as Shakespeare wrote. In iambic pentameter, stories were told as if they were spoken aloud until writing existed. Up until the end of the 18th century. Books were written. Books. Were read aloud from the written page. That led to the development of places. Where people then internalize the spoken word. Shakespeare is meant to be spoken out loud. Up until the end of the 18th century. Most people spoke multiple languages that were analyzing the written word of the Bible. For them, interpretation, nuance, and culture were reflected to present multiple stories, multiple tones. The story then changed. It went from the Jews to the Catholic Church, two businesses competing, and then its third business entered the arena. It was the Anglican Church third business competing, Same story base, but selling its’ merchandise and marketing in a different manner. Now it had a different revenue stream, three groups. The English Church, as we know the written word as it was, developed with the King James Version of the Bible. Subsequently transferred that written word to the American Bible Society, where it changed. The story had the same basis, but different retail versions open with different marketing programs. The Mormon Church. The Anglicans, the US, the American Church, all of those faiths stem off as different retail branches of the same original business. The booksellers were the business. The business was that of the Jews who started it. Anything non religious was. Strictly against the business."

My 'Summary" above is part of a stream of thought spoken aloud and text generated. However, this example of how my word processor tries to accurately convey my speech and grammar while I speak is interesting. Can you really hear the tone of my spoken voice. Do I sound like an intellectual calmly assessing a situation? Or perhaps do I sound like a manic individual on the telephone? Or ultimately, do you hear the Grateful Dead music in the background? And does my voice sound like a version of Cheech and Chong in a car filled with smoke? Nuance is a tremendous thing that contributes. Unfathomably. To the story. And I write and speak as if I am speaking aloud. The word processor is actually setting the grammar. The tone. And the style. Good book. A must read for business.

[Anson Cassel Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short volume is the tribute of Oxford University Press to the 400-year anniversary of the King James Version. Gordon Campbell, professor of Renaissance Studies at the University of Leicester, has done a fine job of introducing the translation and its remarkable impact on the English-speaking world. First published in 1611—though, as Campbell points out, not completely stabilized until 1769—the King James Version still sells millions of copies per year. Campbell is learned, clear, and occasionally witty, though most readers will undoubtedly find some sections of this wide-ranging book more to their taste than others. There are helpful illustrations and a list for “Further Reading” but no citations.

[Beth Kakuma-Depew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated the chapter on the translation, specifically the section on language. Why does the KJV use so many "thee" and "thous" when other things written at the same time, like Shakespeare, is not quite as archaic? The author's theory is that old church men talk in an old-fashioned way even in 1611, while edgy theater types were more ready to mix up their speech.

My three star rating is more a reflection of how I feel about the JKV. I don't know the Bible well enough to comment on the author's treatment of it. But the introduction was nicely written and gave me the basic information I was looking for.

[Dylan Rudling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty interesting look into the history of translating the Bible through the years. Went in not knowing what to expect, but the content was rather interesting considering a lot of it was about minuscule translation differences between texts! The most memorable and enjoyable parts were definitely the bits covering the cultural significance of certain bibles, especially the chapters on modern history and the importance of x bible to y culture for z reason. Not bad at all!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't realize just how influential the KJV is to all English translations.

Fascinating to listen to. The only problem I had was that the narrator simply read the words when spelling variations was the point. I have no idea what the differences are between Shakespeare's 6 spellings of his own name. I only know that they were all pronounced "Shakespeare."

Other than that, a very good listen. Glad I finally got to it.

[John Funnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! A real detailed history that gave great respect to the KJV without leaning towards a KJV-onliest perspective.

Some interesting details on translation choices/errors and the politics behind.

A wonderful application to the American use and culture birthed from the KJV.

Accessible read on a very interesting tooic.

[Paul Narvaez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty thorough overview of the history of the KJV. Honestly, it was perhaps more than I needed to know but still, I found it interesting to hear of (yes, hear as I listened to the audio version) all the different iterations over the centuries and the resultant squabbles and wholesale dismissal of variants caused by just the slightest changes over word choices and interpretation.

[Renee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this to be a bit dry and less interesting than I'd hoped. Part of the problem was I listened to the audiobook which bogged down with citations which I would have skimmed over in a physical book.

[Violet Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. That's a 2.5 from me, but I like to round up.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful not just for the translation of the King James, but also the history of the Bible in English in general. Worthwhile for understanding our English Bible heritage.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of facts about the KJV (though I noticed at least one factual error) but pretty dry reading.

[D Franklin Pack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book on the translation of the King James Version of the Bible and the many revisions it has gone through in the four-hundred years from 1611 to 2011. This informative work of history is a great companion book to the 1611 version. Bible lovers who have a copy of the 1611 version and have read what the translators had to say to the readers, will be most interested in the short bios on the translators themselves and the procedures and rules they were called on to follow as they set out, not to make a new translation, but to make a good one better.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gordon Campbell thoroughly examines the history of the King James Version of the bible from all aspects of it’s development over 400 years. While sketching in the political and social background of each century of KJV, Campbell describes the impact of various translators, editors, printers, and publishers on the shaping of it. In giving a detailed “affectionate biography” of the King James Version, Campbell provides an educational account of the evolution of book publishing which I found especially intriguing. There are indexes in the back of the book with brief biographies of the translators and revisers as well as lists of the revisers and publishers of later versions of the KJV. He discusses the impact of the KJV on the English language and literature, as well as it’s influence on American society. I can recommend this book for any one with an interest in the King James Version, whether it’s sacred or secular.

[Truehobbit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written on commission for the 400th anniversary of the publication of the KJV, this book traces the history of the KJV from its predecessors via the actual writing process to its reception up to the present day, as well as the history and reception of the various revisions. It is scholarly enough to satisfy the historian and brief enough to be a pleasant and entertaining read.

I got the book when it was on special offer for the Kindle. The Kindle version is well made, retains the illustrations, which are nicely visibly even on a standard reader, as well as the scholarly apparatus. The index isn't linked and only refers to book pagination, but that's not a complaint - I wouldn't ask for an index this size to be made usable on a kindle for a book this price - on the contrary, I was thrilled to find the list of illustrations turned into links that take you back to the illustrations themselves.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deals with the original translation process, the various 17th Century editions and subsequent updates and re-translations in a calm, scholarly way. The author makes few open judgements but his bias still is obvious enough: he is in favour of an evolving, eclectic textual base and a modernised English text. He may also be liberal in his theology, as evidenced by his choice of translation issues and the way in which he handles later criticism of 'the new translations'.

Still, he understands the groups and movements he refers to (which is somewhat unusual today) and is genuinely fair to them. This greatly encourages the reader's confidence in his scholarship.

Loved it.

[Brian Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spoiler alert: the KJV/KJB has been revised several times and was not the first English translation. Whoops!

I spent much of my late teen years in a cult that believed the King James Bible is the only and true word of God. In college I had to read a book about why independent fundamental baptists reject other translations. I was told for years that it was the original English translation, and that the translators were divinely inspired.

Diving in to this history was an incredible experience for me, as a recovered fundamentalist Christian.

[Conyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying this more than I thought I would. He has divided the chapters really well, so that you deal with the printers, the illustrations, etc., in their appropriate section. And, he has some very humorous observations sprinkle throughout.

I would recommend this to anyone interested in the history of the King James Version, without getting too bogged down. And, there the examples are usually accompanied with photos, so that helps a lot!

[Michelle Hoogterp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't finish the very last chapter as it got more technical about the differences between the early Bibles and the nuances in translations. I preferred the earlier chapters that told about the beginnings of the KJV, the stories of the people involved, and the controversy surrounding the different bibles including the KJV.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this story and Campbell tells it with good humor and amazing scholarship. More than dry history for me. It's yet another step in my understanding of where we get our modern and often errant ideas about our faith. There's a lot of dogma floating around Christianity that need light as that found in this book. Somewhat scholarly in nature so it requires a serious approach from the reader.

[D Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating. I am interested in this and have watched dozens of YouTube sermons, lectures and debates on kjv onlyism. This book has really helped to clear up some of my questions. There are other areas of bible history I'd like to read but this was a very good intro to the kjv and the bible in English.

[Jelle Floris Kooij-IJkema · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very historical and offers almost no rest bite from the factual narration of the writing style. I learned a lot from this book, but it was quite a challenging read. I gave it four stars and not five because I would have enjoyed reading a little more about the superfluous historical facts rather than only the straight and narrow account.