Product Description

The Bible is the most important book in the history of Western civilization, and also the most difficult to interpret. It has been the vehicle of continual conflict, with every interpretation reflecting passionately held views that have affected not merely religion, but politics, art, and even science.
This unique edition offers an exciting new approach to the most influential of all English biblical texts--the Authorized King James Version, complete with the Apocrypha. Its wide-ranging Introduction and the substantial notes to each book of the Bible guide the reader through the labyrinth of literary, textual, and theological issues, using the most up-to-date scholarship to demonstrate how and why the Bible has affected the literature, art and general culture of the English-speaking world.
The Bible: Authorized King James Version also includes the latest biblical research, evaluated and put into context as well as discussing centuries of critical opinion. A non-sectarian, historical approach makes it suitable for a wide range of readers. A Glossary of terms used in the Notes and six maps of the Holy Land further illuminate the meaning of this most culturally influential version of the Bible.
About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #139408 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 1824 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780199535941
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review

"The World's Classics Bible [is] a quite extraordinary success. It is learned but entirely accessible, full of fascinating information... and executed with great skill and enthusiasm."--Frank Kermode
"This is the best text for reading that is linked to prayer, both from its associations and from its lovely language ... it is happy that at Easter 1997 there should be a new printing of the greatest of English religious texts."--Owen Chadwick, The Observer
"Superbly readable notes by its editors."--Boyd Tonkin, The Independent
"This is an edition which every booklover deserves to have."--Scotland on Sunday

About the Author

Robert Carroll has taught Semitic languages and the Hebrew/English Bible for 30 years at Glasgow University, where he is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Semitic Studies.
Stephen Prickett has held the Chair of English at the Australian National University in Canberra, and has taught at Sussex and Minnesota Universities and Smith College, Massachusetts. He is currently Regius Professor of English Literature at Glasgow University.

Customer Reviews

A Complete KJV at an inexpensive price
This edition of the King James Bible is quite a value, both in price and in content. First, it is an inexpensive paperback, allowing those of limited means to enjoy the Bible in the classic language of the King James Version. Second, it includes the complete canon of the King James Bible as translated in 1611. Virtually all modern editions of the KJV fail to include the Apocrypha. This edition remedies that defect, rendering this edition suitable for use by Protestants, Anglicans, Roman Catholics, and eastern Orthodox Christians, as well as others who may want access to all the literature which Christians of various stripes consider to be scripture. This Bible also contains a brief appendix including helpful information on Bible history and on the various books which make up the Bible. A great Bible at a great price!

Excellent yet secular edition
This edition presents the famous King James translation of the Bible wrapped in a scholarly and quite secular package. The book starts with an introduction to the history of the biblical canon as well as the history of the King James translation. The fact that the edition is liberal shows through when they do not talk of the KJV as some inerrant truth but as an excellent yet flawed and ideological.

Then, the entire KJV is reproduced with its well-known features: an introduction which describes the spirit and method of the translation, a summary of the each page's contents at the top and an interesting rendering of words which were inserted by the translators to make the reading more smooth in italics.

This edition includes the Apocrypha (the books that were considered deutorocanonical and eventually removed from the KJV Bible) - another feature that the more religious readers may find objectionable. However, to present a scholarly overview of the Bible, this is a must, especially as the Apocrypha is almost the length of the New Testament. To portray historic continuity, the Apocrypha is placed in between the two testaments.

The volume ends with notes on each book in the Bible, in the order of this edition. It is here that the naturalistic and historical point of view is best seen. However, religious readers will find plenty of points of interest here as well.

Due to the completeness of the edition, it's almost like a stand-alone intellectual presentation of the Bible.

Great value as there's so much content and unless you're a very devout believer this edition is perfect!

The original KJV
It's nice having because it contains the complete King James Version of the bible as it was originally translated and published. It is one of only two published editions of the complete KJV that I have been able to find. Very few people seem to realize that the KJV included the books of the Apocrypha.

I wish that they made this available in a hardcover without the Michelangelo on the cover though.