I recently purchased a 400th Anniversary Edition of the 1611 King James Version Bible. The edition is "an exact, page-by-page, digitally remastered replica of the original printing" and features "the beauty of the original classic typeface and decorative initials."
The introduction to the 400th Anniversary Edition tells us that "an estimated 20 different print shops in London worked on the production of the first printing of the King James Version of the Bible. The task facing these master printers in 1611 was enormous. Unlike the high-speed computerized typesetting of today, all type had to be set by hand, letter by letter and piece by piece. With care they sey each letter, number and punctuation mark into place. The painstakingly slow process of assembling 1,505 pages of type took the better part of a year."
It's fascinating to read many familiar Bible verses in the old English of 1611. Matthew 11:28-30, for example, reads:
"Come unto me all yee that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learne of me, for I am meeke and lowly in heart: and yee shall find rest unto your soules. For my yoke is easie, and my burden is light."
By the way, did William Shakespeare assist in the publication of the 1611 King James Version of the Bible? It's a question that has been around for 400 years. Psalm 46:3 features the word "shake" in it, exactly 46 words in from the beginning of the chapter, and then six verses later, in Psalm 46:9, is the word "speare", exactly 46 words from the end of the chapter. 1611 also would have been just one year removed from Shakespeare's 46th birthday. Is this all merely a coincidence, or did William Shakespeare leave his secret mark on the 1611 KJV? We'll probably never really know for sure, but it's fascinating to ponder.
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