The King James Bible (KJB) was the result of an extraordinary effort over nearly a century to take many good English translations and turn them into what the translators called `one principal good one, not justly to be excepted against'. David Norton traces the work of Tyndale and his successors, analysing the translation and revisions of two representative passages. His fascinating new account follows in detail the creation of the KJB, including attention to the translators' manuscript work. He also examines previously unknown evidence such as the diary of John Bois, the only man who made notes on the translation. At the centre of the book is a thorough discussion of the first edition. The latter part of the book traces the printing and textual history of the KJB and provides a concise account of its changing scholarly and literary reputations.

`In this history of the King James version, the printers and editors who have sought to recover the aims of the original translators spring to life. David Norton, the most recent of these editors, examines five manuscripts which have come to light in the past fifty years and describes their use in the forming of a text which reflects exactly the aims of the translators.' Ward S. Allen, author of Translating the New Testament Epistles 1604-1611

`David Norton is the perfect guide to that treasure of our Christian and literary heritage, the King James Bible. With the help of his intimate knowledge of the manuscript and printed sources, he tells the fascinating story of how the KJV took shape, not in a few years, but over three generations, and he includes lively pen-pictures of two of the translators based on the library of one and the diary of another.' Graham Davies, Professor of Old Testament Studies, University of Cambridge, and Fellow of Fitzwilliam College - (Blackwell UK)

The King James Bible was the result of an extraordinary effort over nearly a century to make many good English translations and turn them into what the translators called ‘one principal good one, not justly to be excepted against'. David Norton traces the work of Tyndale and his successors, analyzing the translation and revisions of two representative passages. His fascinating new account follows in detail the creation of the KJB, including attention to the translators' manuscript work. He also examines previously unknown evidence such as the diary of John Bois, the only man who made notes on the translation. At the centre of the book is a thorough discussion of the first edition. The latter part of the book traces the printing and textual history of the KJB and provides a concise account of its changing scholarly and literary reputations. - (Cambridge Univ Pr)

The King James Bible was the result of extraordinary effort over nearly a century. David Norton traces the work of Tyndale and his successors, following in detail work on the KJB, including its textual and printing history. - (Cambridge Univ Pr)

David Norton is Professor of English at Victoria University of Wellington. His previous publications include A History of the Bible as Literature, 2 volumes (Cambridge, 1993), and The New Cambridge Paragraph Bible (Cambridge, 2005). - (Blackwell UK)

Library Journal Reviews

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of theKing James Bible. In recognition of this, Norton (English, Victoria Univ. of Wellington, New Zealand; A History of the Bible as Literature) gives us a new history of that translation, which was undertaken from 1604 to its publication in 1611. While several other books on this topic have been published in recent years, Norton's is distinctive in its scholarly emphasis on the history of the translation itself rather than primarily on the translators or other historical figures associated with its history. Norton spends the early part of the book addressing the long history of translation leading up to the King James Version (KJV). He then deals with this particular translation process and the history of the translation's reception over the subsequent centuries. Readers will be struck particularly by the long, painstaking effort involved in the creation of this translation. VERDICT Those with an interest in church history and in the King James Bible, as well as specialists in the subject of biblical translation generally, will find this book very informative and helpful.—John Jaeger, Dallas Baptist Univ. Lib., TX