Product Description: Sixteenth century English Protestant scholars were determined to make the scriptures understandable to common people, so that, as William Tyndale famously put it, "the boy that driveth the plough should know more of the scriptures" than the educated man.
However, Queen Mary's (1553-1558) persecution of her Protestant subjects caused many to flee to the continent to avoid imprisonment or execution. Geneva, Switzerland soon became a center for Protestant biblical scholarship. It was there that a group of the movement's leading lights gathered to undertake a fresh translation of the scriptures into English, beginning in 1556.
Published in 1560, the Geneva Bible's popularity kept it in print until 1644--long after the advent of the Authorized Version (a.k.a. King James Version). It was an English Bible that met the needs of both clergy and laity. Perhaps the Geneva Bible's greatest contribution was its commentary, which under girded the emerging practice of sermonizing and helped foster scripture literacy. The Geneva Bible was the first to feature many innovations in the field of Bible publishing:
* Text printed in readable roman type * Division of the text into numbered verses * Italic type used for words not in the original languages * Marks placed over the accented syllables to aid in pronouncing proper names * Extensive textual and explanatory commentary placed in the margins * Words/phrases displayed at the heads of pages to promote scripture memorization * Maps and woodcuts illustrating biblical scenes included * Sold in a variety of sizes so many people could afford a household Bible
The Geneva Bible accompanied English settlers voyaging to the new world. It is probable that the Geneva Bible came to America in 1607 and was used in the Jamestown colony. Thirteen years later the Pilgrims brought it with them on the Mayflower's perilous voyage to religious freedom.
The Geneva Bible stands as a landmark in the history of English Bible translation. Hendrickson's facsimile reproduces one of the finest existing copies of the 1560 Geneva Bible. Using quality materials and crafted to last, Bible collectors and anyone interested in the history of the English Bible will treasure this volume.
Excellent Facsimile of the Geneva Bible - But Get the Hardcover Version Instead! I received the leather-bound version of this Bible about a month ago. Due to binding issues, I returned it for another copy, then yet another. I finally went with the hardcover version, and so glad I did! If you're on the fence as to which one to get, I recommend the hardcover.
LEATHER VERSION: The quality of the Bible is above average, but could be better. The leather is a bit stiff. The gold easily wears off and shows the slightest marks. The binding isn't very tight and due to the sheer number of pages, it just feels like it's going to fall apart after a few months of reading. I guess I'm used to Cambridge and Oxford Bibles being more supple with a tighter binding. Mine came bound crooked, with the inside pages bound with only 2mm-4mm (4 at the spine and 2 at the outer edge) between the pages and the leather edge at the top, but about 8mm-6mm at the bottom. The pages themselves were physically bound at an angle. I returned it to Amazon, and they sent me another one. Not as bad, but still bound crooked so I returned it again and got a refund.
HARDCOVER VERSION: I just received the hardcover version as a present. If you're debating which one to get, hands-down get the hardcover version. The binding is tighter, the pages aren't covered in gold (that easily wears off) and it's just a better look altogether for the size of the Bible.
The paper on both versions is excellent. Very clean, white, just the right thickness and brightness. I was pleasantly surprised! The dark text doesn't show through the other side, but it's not too thick. Feels slightly thicker than the Oxford Clarendon KJV Bible paper, and acid-free, but not too bright on the eyes. The printing is nice and dark and very clear, probably the best I've seen on any Geneva Bible reprint ever (and I've owned pretty much every reproduction made in the past 10 years). There are very few (if any) smudge marks.
It's a bit large, which is to be expected I guess considering the margin notes. I measured it at 9.5" tall X 7.75" wide X 2.75" thick. It would have been much nicer (read thinner) if they had omitted the Apocrypha and included the Introduction as a booklet instead of including it within the Bible itself.
I'm very pleased with this facsimile edition and heartily recommend the hardcover version. The leather version should not have been made as it's too large a Bible for the binding and due to the looseness of the binding the publisher appears to have had problems binding them.
An interesting comparison between Wisconsin University's Facsimile edition and Hendrickson's new one. This review is for the Leather Bound Edition.
I recently recieved my order for this wonderful Bible. I was disappointed that certain words throughout it, are difficult to make out, due to a lack of ink. It appears, however, that this is not the fault of Hendrickson:
Several years ago, I photocopied Lloyd E. Berry's excellent Preface to Wisconsin University's (1969) 1560 Geneva Bible facsimile edition. I also copied the chapter of Genesis. Before discarding them (now that I have the actual Bible), I compared the photo copy of Genesis with that chapter in the Hendrickson Bible. What I discovered is that; the lack of ink problem is exactly the same in the Wisconsin edition as in the Hendrickson Bible. The same words that are a difficult to read in the Hendrickson edition, are difficult to read in the Wisconsin edition. It would seem that the problem is not due to any lack of quality on Hendrickson's end, but with the condition of the original Bible used to produce this new edition. I understand that it was copied from one of the best survivng 1560 Geneva Bibles.
READER PLEASE NOTE: This Bible is still DEFINITELY readable.
Two other comments: I would gladly have paid more for a more substantial leather cover: this one is a bit thin. And 2 ribbons rather than 1, seem to be in order for an approximately 2.5 inch thick book.
These things notwithstanding, I am grateful to Hendrickson for making this Bible available so reasonably and widely, in what is arguably, a beautiful edition.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
