The 1611 King James Bible – Regular Facsimile Edition from The Bible Museum is a reproduction of the first edition KJV. It’s a computer-scanned copy of an original 1611 KJV complete with Gothic typography, woodcut designs, the Apocrypha, and lots of extras in the front. It’s designed to provide the authentic 1611 KJV experience. This Bible is ideal as a display piece for your home, church, or office, and it excels at every point. This is ISBN: 9781424323449, printed in China.
The KJV Store provided this Bible in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review, only an honest one. All opinions are my own.
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This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and many local Bible bookstores
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Table of Contents
- Video Review
- Binding
- Paper
- Typography and Layout
- References and Footnotes
- Extras
- King James Bible Leaf
- Conclusion
Video Review
Binding
This is a hardcover that’s covered with black bonded leather. It has a smooth grain. Nothing is printed on the front or back. The spine is rounded and includes gold stamping with Holy Bible and King James 1611.
The liner is paste-down with an extra-thick paper. The block is sewn and the cover has no trouble staying completely open to any page. This is a large Bible at 9 x 11 x 3.5″, and it weighs 8lbs, 8oz. At this size and weight, it’s ideal for a desk, coffee table, or other type of table for display.
Paper
The paper is an archival grade, 100% acid-free, heavy cream paper. It feels like a high-quality paper. I’m not sure of the GSM, but it feels between 60-80 GSM to my fingers. It’s cream in color and is highly opaque. The color is similar to journaling Bibles. This would normally make the text difficult to read, but the print is so dark that it still has a high contrast. The paper is easy to grab and turn.
Typography and Layout
The 1611 KJV text is presented in a verse-by-verse format in a wood-cut Gothic Blackletter type with supplied words in Roman type. It includes chapter summaries in Roman type, a 9-line decorative drop cap at the beginning of the book and a 5-line drop cap for each chapter following the first one, pilcrows to mark paragraphs, and footnotes and references in the outer margins. The header shows the book name in the center on the left page and the chapter number in Roman numerals in the center on the right page. Both pages show a summary over each column. The text is around 12-point It’s bold and consistent throughout the text. An asterisk shows that there are references available for the portion of text in the margin. Books start on the page where the previous book ended. The title for each book includes a fancy design.
I find the Gothic typeface difficult to read. The Roman typeface is easy to read. Some of the letters used in 1611 aren’t completely the same as those we use today. For example, the letter “s” looked like an “f”. The Book of Hebrews shows that it was written by Paul. This edition is better for a collection or showpiece than for reading.
References and Footnotes
The references and footnotes are placed in the margins next to their verses. They’re marked in the text with an asterisk. The footnotes are those from the translators. There aren’t a lot of references.
Here are a few example references to help you compare:
- Genesis 1:1 – Ps 33:6, 136:5, Ac 14:15, 17:24, Heb 11:3
- Deuteronomy 6:4 – x
- Isaiah 9:6 – Jn 3:16
- Matthew 28:19 – Mark 16:15
- Mark 12:29 – x
- John 1:1 – Gen 1:1
- John 3:16 – 1 Jn 4:9
- Acts 2:38 – x
- Romans 10:9 – x
- 1 John 1:1 – x
Extras
In the front are all of the original 1611 King James Bible prefatory materials. It’s mostly reference tables that include a reading plan, charts of holy days, genealogies, and a map with an index. It also includes the Translator’s to the Reader. They are difficult to use because of the Gothic typeface, but it is interesting to see the types of material that were included in the 1611 edition of the KJV.
The materials include:
- The ornate 1611 Dated General Title Page
- The Dedication to King James / Epistle Dedicatory (3 pages)
- The Translator’s To The Reader Preface (many pages)
- The Calendar (one page for each month of the year)
- The Almanacke
- The Chart to Find Easter Forever
- The Lesson To Be Read For Morning & Evening Prayer
- The Table of Canaan
- The Map of The Holy Land (2 page spread)
- The Table of Psalms
- The List of Holy Days
- The Table of Contents
- The Coat of Arms of King James
- The Genealogies of Mankind (34 pages)
King James Bible Leaf
As a bonus, this Bible includes a leaf (an actual real page) from an original KJV. They normally cost $59, but they’re included for free. Mine was printed before 1650 and is from a smaller Quarto size, which was intended for personal ownership. It comes with a pamphlet that discusses the KJV and its development and includes information about the leaf.
Conclusion
The 1611 King James Bible – Regular Facsimile Edition from The Bible Museum is an excellent reproduction of this important historical Bible. It’s well made and the scans of the original make for a convincing facsimile. I like that it also includes the extras that were printed in the front. It even has a few references, the original translator’s footnotes, chapter summaries, and lots of woodcut decorations. Just like the original, this reproduction includes the Apocrypha. If you’re interested in a 1611 KJV that looks and feels authentic, this is an excellent choice.
_________________________________________________________
This Bible is available at (includes some affiliate links)
and many local Bible bookstores
_________________________________________________________
The KJV Store provided this Bible in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review, only an honest one. All opinions are my own.
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