1649 quarto Red-Ruled complete KJV Bible, Psalter and Geneva notes
A remarkable preserved, large quarto and (hand) red-ruled 1649 King James Holy complete Bible with the Whole Book of Psalms (Psalter). Including a total of THREE title pages: the general title to the Bible and New Testament title page (both engraved with illustrations of the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles) plus the title page to the Psalter.
It opens with "The Holy Bible: Containing the Old Testament and the New: Newly tranflated out of the originall Tongues and with the former tranflations diligently compared and revifed by his Majefties fpeciall commandment. With moft profitable Annotations upon all the hard places, and other things of great importance: Which notes have never before been fet forth with this new Tranfation: But are now placed in due order with great care and induftrie. London, Printed by the company of Stationers. 1649."
This King James Version is printed with Geneva notes and Junius' Annotations on Revelation. In general appearance this edition closely imitates the favourite quarto Geneva (Herbert #620).
Also bound with the two tables ('concordances') and the "Whole Book of Psalmes" printed by Richard Cotes. for the Company of Stationers, 1649."
At the end of the reign of Elizabeth I (1558-1603), a draft is drawn up under an Act of Parliament for the sole purpose of a new version of the Bible: "An act for the reducing of diversities of bibles now extant in the English tongue to one settled vulgar translated from the original."
The resulting (Authorized) King James Version is an English translation of the Bible from the original languages (Hebrew and Greek) begun in 1604 and first published in 1611 by the Church of England. No book has had greater influence on the English language or on the English character. For the next three hundred years the majority of English men and women heard it read aloud Sunday after Sunday and, until within living memory, a very large proportion of people read the Bible with steady, life-long devotion in their own homes. And this great quality was carried to America, where its influence has hardly been less. All antique family Bibles published before 1881 are exclusive in the Authorized or King James translation.
