We shared our first edition of the King James Bible with students in a class recently and wanted to share it with you as well. In 1611, the King James Authorized version displaced earlier English translations of the Bible, including the sanctioned Bishop’s Bible and the popular Geneva Bible. At the Hampton Court Conference of 1604, King James I authorized the translation. 54 scholars were approved for the task and, together, they created a beautiful text intended to be read aloud. The King James Version had a strong influence on literature and on the English language.
The Graham Library’s copy is a first edition from 1611. There are some errors in this printing, including the use of “he” rather than “she” in Ruth 3:15 – winning this edition the nickname “He Bible.” Our copy is known as the Shearsby Bible, for its history in a parish church in Leicester. It features original oak boards and shows its long use at the lectern with wear at the outside bottom corners, where the pages were turned regularly particularly at the Psalms. It was given to Trinity College in 1987 by William L. May, Peggy (May) Ruddick, and Mary (May) Harris, in memory of Captain David A. May, killed in action on the 26th of February 1943. Restoration to this Bible was funded by the Friends of the Library.
John W. Graham Library News 