King James Bible (1611)

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1st Edition, 1st Printing, "He" Variant

The Authorized Version, more popularly known as the King James Version (KJV) due to its translation under James I of England, was produced at the request of the clergy in the Church of England. It was a revision of the Bishop's Bible of 1568, which it replaced as the official translation within the Anglican Church. Other translations, including the Geneva Bible and the Matthew Bible, were also consulted. The 1611 printing of the King James Version was done only in the large pulpit size on display here.

The first printing of the KJV contained a printing error in Ruth 3:15. Although it is speaking of Ruth, the printing reads "and he went into the citie." The mistaken use of the pronoun has caused this edition to be known as the "He" variant. This printing error identifies the Bible displayed here as part of that first printing. Subsequent printings-known as "She" Bibles-corrected the error. Fewer than 200 original printings of the 1611 are known to exist. Of those, fewer than fifty are complete "He" variants.

Within several decades, the KJV had overtaken the Geneva Bible in popularity, in part because of its authorized status within the Church of England. More copies of the KJV have been printed than of any other book in world history. Almost all editions of the Authorized Version printed in the United States have followed the 1769 Baskerville revision, which made adjustments to spelling and some changes in word choice.

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