Four Hundred Years on the Best Seller List

This book presents the complex and compelling story of the King James Bible and accounts for the reason it has been a best seller for four hundred years. It describes the political and religious tensions which marked the historical context in which it was produced, especially the roles of Henry VIII and the later transition from Elizabeth I to James I. It describes the translation process itself, the character and content of what the translators produced, and the numerous revisions and printings that this Bible has gone through over four centuries. The author has drawn on research of many scholars but created a narrative for any reader interested in how this translation has influenced literature, the development of the English language, oratory and the political life of English speakers both in the United Kingdom and North America.