The 1614–13 King James Bible Quarto (Herbert 333; STC 2233) represents a fundamental shift in early seventeenth-century English printing history, emerging from the workshop of Robert Barker, the official Printer to King James I. Produced section-by-section over months of intensive labor, copies of this edition frequently display a hybrid dating profile—featuring an Old Testament title page dated 1614 and a New Testament title page and colophon dated 1613. This particular issue represents the highly sought-after "She" lineage, establishing its structural lineage by incorporating the corrected reading of Ruth 3:15 ("and she went into the citie"), distinguishing it from the typographical variations found in the earliest 1611 folio impressions.

T H E

H O L Y B I B L E,

Containing the Old Testament,

and the New:

¶ Newly Translated out of the Original Tongues:

And with the former Translations diligently compared

and revised, by his Majesties speciall commandment.

I M P R I N T E D A T

London by ROBERT BARKER,

Printer to the Kings mostExcellent Majestie.

1614.

About this Particular Bible

Bibliographically celebrated as the "Second Roman Letter Quarto," the primary significance of this volume lies in its pioneering visual typography. Departing from the dense, heavy Gothic "Black Letter" typefaces that dominated early English biblical design, Barker formatted this edition in a crisp, elegant, and highly legible Roman font face. Arranged in a two-column layout, the clean text is paired with an intricate, heart-shaped woodcut border on the general title page, which is segmented into twenty-four distinct pictorial compartments depicting the tents of the Twelve Tribes of Israel and the figures of the Twelve Apostles. This convergence of structural portability, visual artistry, and modernized letterforms was instrumental in democratizing the newly established Authorized Version, adapting it for both private devotion and scholarly utility.

The Exterior

This Bible features a full brown calfskin leather binding, heavily characterized by blind tooling, a decorative technique where patterns are stamped directly into the material without gold leaf to create dark, recessed impressions. The front cover displays a classic diaper design, consisting of a geometric lattice of intersecting lines that form distinct diamond shapes, while the rounded spine showcases thick, horizontal raised bands created by pressing the leather over heavy internal sewing cords. This aesthetic directly mimics the historical medieval Gothic binding style, which flourished across Europe between the 14th and 16th centuries. During this era, monastic scriptoriums and early university binderies utilized thick wooden or heavy paperboard cores wrapped in sturdy animal hides to safeguard valuable manuscripts, relying on geometric blind-stamping both as an artistic signature and as a functional means to strengthen the protective cover.

The Interior

A-Z^8, Aa-Zz^8, Aaa-Zzz^8: The book contains three complete sequences of the alphabet. Each letter represents a group of 8 leaves (16 pages).[A]-[M]^8: A final sequence of 13 gatherings also with 8 leaves each. The main holy text has no missing pages. Lacks general title page.

Detailed Report:

This Bible has period correct pastedowns w/ 17-18th Century paper. Front end papers are period paper, rear end papers are original. The Bible opens up to a complete 34 page section of the Genealogies, followed by "A Description of Cannan, and the bordering Countries" featuring a Double Page Map. This is succeeded by "The Names and Order of all the Bookes of the Olde and New Testament, with the number of their Chapters". This concludes the Prelimary Leaves. Here bgins "The First Booke of Moses, called Genesis". Ii3-Ii6 (Job Ch. 14-27) has heavy chipping to upper and fore-edge of leaves, effecting marginal notes. Qq3 has small page repair effecting chapter heading and marginal notes at lower corner. Qq4 & Qq5 has minor page repair not effect text and small closed tear at middle of page. Qq6-Qq7 (The Song of Solomon Ch. 3-8 & The Book of Isaiah Ch.1) has tearing toward upper center of page with text-loss. end of Olde Testament. Minor repair to Tt4 at lower corner, slightly effecting marginal notes. Ttt6 (II Maccabees Ch. 15:15-16) has minor burn holes effecting text on recto. Here marks the end of The Apocrypha. New Testament Title Page has some chipping with small closed tear along the lower edge. Ttt8 (Matthew Ch. 1) has chip along fore-edge of leaf effecting marginal notes on verso. Vvv 1 (Matthew Ch. 4 & 5) has lower corner torn and missing with text-loss. Vvv2 has minor closed tear along lower edge and small corner repair effecting marginal notes on recto and one word of scripture on verso. Vvv3 has a small chip at lower corner effecting marginal notes on verso. Xxx1 (Matthew Ch. 7-8) has a 30 percent page tear with text-loss. Xxx7 has small closed tear at lower edge of leaf. Xxx8 (Matthew Ch. 27-28 & Mark Ch.1) has a 20 percent page tear with text-loss. Zzz3 has small page repair at top outer corner effecting marginal notes. [A4] (Luke Ch. 12) has small corner chip effecting a few lines of scripture at upper corner of the fore-edge of the leaf. [A5] has small chip at lower corner of fore-edge, not effecting text. [B1] (Luke Ch. 20) has small chip at lower corner of fore-edge effecting a couple lines of scripture. [B3] (Luke Ch. 23) has minor repair at lower fore-edge of the leaf effecting a few lines of scripture. [B5] has closed tear at lower endge of leaf, effecting text without loss. [B6] (John Ch. 3-4) has page repair at lower fore-edge of the leaf with some text-loss. [B8] has small chip at lower inner-edge of the leaf effecting one word of scripture. [C1] has samll closed tear at lower fore-edge of the leaf effect a couple lines of scripture without text-loss. [C3] (John Ch. 10-11) has a medium sized closed tear with very minor loss to text. [C6] (John Ch, 15) has closed tear with old repair, with repair partially covering chapter heading. [C8] (John Ch. 29) has closed with old repair and chip at lower edge of leaf with minor loss to a few words. [D1] (John Ch. 20-21 & Acts Ch. 1) has chipping at lower edge of leaf effecting the last few line of scripture with text-loss. [D2] has minor repair to margin, covering marginal notes on verso. [F4] has minor repair to margin, covering marginal notes on verso. [F5] has minor repair to margin, covering marginal notes on verso and small hole effecting 2 lines of scripture on recto. [F7] (Romans Ch. 10-12) has chip at lower edge of leaf with old repair effecting the last seven lines of text with loss. [G4] has small chip at upper fore-edge of leaf, effect 1 line of marginal notes. [M4] (Revelation Ch. 13) has a chip to the lower fore-edge of the leaf a few words of scripture with minor text-loss. [M8] (Reveleation Ch. 22) has some ink bleeding through from verso, this being the last leaf of Revelation a previous owner, perhaps even the first owner has written some genealogical notaions, seemingly dating from 1626-1642. The writing appears quite old. This is the End of the New Testament and the end of the Bible. The fly-leaf also has some notes written in a different has from the 1720's.

In addition: Some fore-edge cropping, effecting maginal notes in some areas and some leaves have minor ink staining here and there throughout the Bible.

The fly-leaf and the first several groups of leaves have moderate foxing & staining, mostly to the outer edge, after-which the pages appear quite nice clean with lite stainging & foxing here and there, consistent with it's age. It is crucial to understand that these are not new Bibles; they are antiquarian books that should be treated accordingly, in this case, a 412 year-old Bible.

We provide detailed photographs to allow you to assess the book's condition and aesthetic appeal. Many, if not all of the early books and Bibles we offer will show signs of aging, whether it's foxing on the pages, dog-eared or chipped corners, inscriptions from previous owners, or staining from years of use.

Why This Bible Still Matters Today

In a time when digital media dominates, this 1614 King James Holy Bible stands as a testament to the power of the printed word to bridge history, faith, and family. By honoring the craftsmanship of the past, it inspires us to consider how we might preserve our own legacies for generations to come.

The Role of Book Archaeology in Preserving This Heritage

At Book Archaeology, these Bibles are not only religious texts but also historical artifacts that reveal much about the cultural and spiritual lives of the past. As Guardians of the Written Word, we understand that preserving such volumes requires careful attention to their physical condition and historical context. Book Archaeology helps keep alive the stories and traditions embedded in these sacred pages.

Price 2500.00 | Purchase Page  | See all