1560 Geneva Bible: First Edition

$139.00

The Geneva Bible was the “Bible of the Protestant Reformation” and the Bible of the Puritans and Pilgrims. It was the first Bible taken to America on the Mayflower. Both the Regular and the Deluxe Editions of the 1560 Geneva Facsimile Reproduction are the same on the inside. They are the same size, measuring approximately 11 inches tall by 8.75 inches wide by 3.25 inches thick. The Regular Edition is bound in hardcover burgundy bonded leather with gold stamping along the spine. The Deluxe Edition is bound in the finest grade of deep chocolate full-grain calf leather over thick wood boards. FREE original Geneva Bible page printed before 1640 included with each facsimile.

 

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Description

Video Note: The Deluxe Edition no longer has a “Gibbor Edition” spine label. See the photo gallery above for accurate current photos.

The Geneva Bible was the “Bible of the Protestant Reformation” and the Bible of the Puritans and Pilgrims. It was the first Bible taken to America, brought over on the Mayflower. The Geneva Bible is the Bible upon which America was founded. You can imagine, most early American colonists, who were fleeing the religious oppression of the Anglican Church (Church of England), wanted nothing to do with the King James Bible of the Anglican Church!

Textually, the Geneva Bible offered several radical never-before-seen changes: It was the first Bible in English to add numbered verses to each chapter of scripture. Also, the Geneva was the first Bible to introduce an easier-to-read “Roman Style Typeface” rather than the “Gothic Blackletter Style Typeface,” which had been used exclusively in earlier Bibles. Another curious innovation in Geneva was the first “Study Bible” with extensive commentary notes in the margins.

The Geneva Bible is the version quoted from hundreds of times by William Shakespeare in his plays. Also called the “Breeches Bible,” the Geneva Bible is the only Bible ever able to outsell and exceed the popularity of the King James Bible, as it did in the early 1600s until its printing ceased in 1644. One of the greatest ironies of history is that Protestants of all denominations today embrace the King James Version of the Bible (which reads 90% the same as the Geneva), even though the King James Version is not a Protestant Bible (it’s Anglican / Church of England). Most Protestants have never even heard of the Bible of their own heritage: the Geneva Bible. It was produced by John Calvin, John Knox, Myles Coverdale, John Foxe, & other English refugees in ever-neutral Geneva, Switzerland… fleeing the persecution of the Roman Catholic Queen “Bloody” Mary in England. Mary would not tolerate the Protestant Geneva Bible, which proclaimed the Pope an “antichrist” in its commentary notes.

Both the Regular and the Deluxe Editions of the 1560 Geneva Facsimile Reproduction are the same on the inside and are the same size, measuring approximately 11 inches tall by 8.75 inches wide by 3.25 inches thick. The Regular Edition is bound in hardcover burgundy bonded leather with gold stamping along the spine. The Deluxe Edition is bound in the finest grade of deep chocolate full-grain calf leather over thick wood boards. The Deluxe Edition covers and spine are intricately blind-stamped with elaborate decorative designs, and the spine features five raised bands with burgundy leather labels beautifully gold-stamped. These facsimiles are identical to the genuine original 1560 First Edition / First Printing of the Geneva Bible, an example of which is available in the Gold Room of our Ancient Rare Bibles & Books section for tens of thousands of dollars. However, we took the liberty of doing a photographic enlargement of the actual size of the type on each page to 125% the size of the original to make the small commentary notes in the margins easier to read.

This high-quality 1560 First Edition Geneva Bible facsimile should not be confused with another facsimile published many years ago of the much later “1599” Geneva version, which is not a First Edition, does not contain all the books of the Bible (no Apocrypha like the 1560 and all other printings have), does not contain the original unaltered commentary notes, and is printed in type so very small as they make the notes almost illegible! Ours is a MUCH nicer and more complete production.

You may also be interested to know that, upon examining the remarkable quality of our 1560 Geneva Bible reproduction, bestselling author and theologian Dr. R.C. Sproul decided to offer it in his “Ligonier Ministries Catalog” in a special two-page featured spread. I believe that you will agree that this important “Bible of the Protestant Reformation” is a must-have for your library, mainly if your theological views are of the Reformed tradition. The ancient commentary notes alone provide hours of fascinating insight into the scriptures from the Protestant Reformation’s greatest theologians.

Back in print for the first time in centuries… nearly forgotten for over 350 years…all but drowned out by the Anglican Church’s much younger and more “politically correct” King James Version of 1611… reclaim your Protestant heritage by reading the Bible translated by Protestants for Protestants: the 1560 Geneva Bible.

 

Deluxe Edition is currently Sold Out!

Additional information

1560 Geneva Bible

Regular Binding
$139