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1612 King James Bible - ("Hee" Bible - First Edition Quarto) — Substantial Fragment | Robert Barker | Roman Letter (Herbert 313.)
 
This rare and precious artifact represents a critical milestone in the history of English printing, serving as the very first quarto version of the Authorized King James Version.
 
The iconic nature of this artifact offers a striking snapshot of the very beginning of the King James Bible, published just one year after King James I and his committees of over forty of the era's greatest scholars and theologians finalized their monumental translation. The historical significance of this first printing lies in its groundbreaking transition to a portable quarto format using clear Roman type, a structural shift designed to make this masterpiece approachable for the everyday reader while remaining an authoritative textual standard for the scholar. Its immediate, overwhelming success laid the foundation for a 400-year legacy as the most influential and widely read book in the English-speaking world, shaping literature, culture, and faith for generations.
 
What makes this specific edition a holy grail of rare Bibles is that it retains the raw, uncorrected "DNA" of the original 1611 translation. It proudly carries the famous "Hee" typo in Ruth 3:15 ("and hee went into the citie") and the Genesis 10:16 "Emorite" mistake before they were wiped out in later revisions. It is a time capsule of 17th-century faith and an artifact of the most sought-after book in the world. Herbert 313 | First Edition, First Quarto Printing, "Hee" Variant with Roman Type.
 
About this Particular Bible
This specific Bible offers an opportunity to acquire a substantial and textually dense 17th-century artifact, preserving the core narrative and theological heart of the 1612 translation. In the realm of early English printing, encountering an absolutely flawless copy is an near impossibility, as the vast majority of surviving 400-year-old Bibles naturally bear some form of historical imperfection or loss. This copy stands proud as a survivor of that ancient legacy. This Bible opens at the General Title Page (in an expert, near-imperceptible facsimile executed on genuine 17th-century paper) and is continuous and uninterrupted through the entire Old Testament historical sequence and poetic books, culminating at the Book of Lamentations. This physical state concentrates the artifact's historical importance., including both the "Emorite" anomaly and the crucial "Hee" variant in Ruth.
 
The presence of these infamous misprints highlights the raw, human reality of 17th-century manual printing. In the early decades of the King James Bible, typographical errors were incredibly common, but minor slips like the "Emorite" mistake or the "Hee" variant carried absolutely no legal penalties or fines for the Royal Printer, Robert Barker. Because these blunders did not distort core Christian doctrine, church authorities viewed them merely as accidents of heavy manual labor rather than moral offenses. For the 1612 King James Quarto, these unpunished typos remain pristine, unaltered time capsules, proving this specific text block came directly from the very first, uncorrected wave of King James Bible production.
 
The Exterior:
The Bible is bound in a beautiful, deeply mottled brown leather that gives it a classic antique look. The spine has been masterfully rebacked, with a new spine that matches the original style near perfectly. It features six raised bands and very nice hand-stamped floral patterns in the leather panels. A vibrant red leather label has been placed on the spine (appears to be 18th Century), stamped in gold with "BARKER | BIBLE | 1612", and the matching "1612" date is subtly stamped at the very bottom. The hinges and corners are solid. You can open, display, and read this 400-year-old book without worrying about it falling apart. It looks absolutely stunning on a shelf or laid out for display and is built to last for generations.

The Interior:
This 400-year-old survivor presents itself with a charming antiquarian character, exhibiting a structure that remains entirely sound for active study and handling. The interior text block shows the natural, honest signs of a well-loved family heirloom, with light, scattered thumb-soiling, minor historical ink smudges, and expected edge-fraying to the earliest introductory leaves. Remarkably, the text retains exceptionally crisp typographical impressions throughout. A spectacular highlight within this copy is the inclusion of the highly coveted, double-page engraved scriptural map by John Speed, which remains intact and clean.
 
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. Read More
 
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