Barker Folio King James Bible

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The Holy Bible. Containing the Old Testament and The New. Newly translated out of the originall Tongues: And with the former Translations diligently compared and revised, by His Majesties speciall commandment. Appointed to be read in Churches

This the fifth and last distinct folio edition of the King James Bible. It was printed by the famous printer of English Bibles, Robert Barker. As Royal Printer he printed the very first edition of the King James Bible in 1611.

In 1631 Barker had printed a King James Bible that came to be known as the “Wicked Bible”. In the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:14) the word "not" in the sentence "Thou shalt not commit adultery" was omitted. This mistype resulted in an uproar, the king’s fury, a huge fine and ultimately imprisonment.

Despite working on what should have been very lucrative business, Robert was not a good businessman. Barker never profited from his history-making enterprise: he died in debtors' prison in 1643, just a couple of years after this Bible was printed.

The King James Bible is considered the greatest monument in English literature next to Shakespeare and has been of huge importance to English as a world language.

The Bible is part of the Rosendahl Bible Collection at the Nordic Bible and Book Museum.

Published 1640

Licensing credit line © Copyright 2022 Stiftelsen Nordisk Bibel- og Bokmuseum

Printed London, by Robert Barker and John Bill