IN THE BEGINNING:
The story of the King James Bible
By Alister McGrath. Hodder & Stoughton. £14.99
ISBN 0 34078 560 8
The King James or Authorised Version of the Bible has been the mainstay of the Bible in the English language for the greater part of 400 years. Alister McGrath has provided a well-written account of events leading up to the 1611 translation and the impact, both good and less welcome, it has had throughout the generations.
With regard to the events prior to the publication of the King James Bible, McGrath reaches back to the development of printing in 15th-century Europe and the production of the first printed New Testament translation by William Tyndale in 1525/26. Although three extant copies of Tyndale's 1526 octavo edition are known, including the Stuttgart copy complete with a title page, McGrath (page 73) surprisingly displays ignorance of the latter that came to light in 1997.
