Fit for the King

The 400th anniversary of the King James Version (KJV) version of the Bible is being celebrated this year. Lawrence M. Vance has written an excellent background article on it. The King James Bible Trust, whose patron is Prince Charles, was formed specially to commemorate it. And Christopher Hitchens' latest Vanity Fair column is devoted to it.

The title page of the first edition reads like this (I've modernised the spellings and punctuation):

THE

HOLY

BIBLE,

Containing the Old Testament,

AND THE NEW:

Newly Translated out of the Original

tongues: & with the former Translations

diligently compared and revised, by his

Majesty's Special Commandment.

Appointed to be read in Churches.

Imprinted at London by Robert

Barker, Printer to the King's

most Excellent Majesty.

ANNO DOM. 1611.