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Rating: 
Summary: An amazing value for the money- a very beautiful Bible.
Review: As an ordained pastor for 30 years, I have seen many, many diferent Bibles over the years, and have often been responsible to select, from all the many Bibles in print, which Bibles we would order to be given away, sold at cost for wide distibution, made available at Church book ministries, etc.. Undoubtedly, this is the most beautiful printing job for the money I have ever seen (it was printed in China). There are lovely full-color old masters and ornamentation on virtually every page, copied from a Medieval hand-illuminated Bible. The genalogy and family info pages are about the best I have ever seen also. I have shown my copy to numerous people, and the usual result is, "What did that cost?" Most guess in the 100's. After they recover from the shock of hearing it is under $25, the next question is usually, " Where can I get one?" The spine has raised ribs, as usually only found on much more expensive books. The cover is fake but acceptable leather grain. If this were bound in genuine leather, it would be the absolutely perfect family Bible, but of course it would have to cost $25 to $50 more- but I, for one, would be glad to pay it. I can't comment on how well the binding will hold up, as I just received mine last week. It has the straight, beautiful old King James Version text, without notes or comments. Thunder Bay Press has done a great service to the world in making this available. I intend to get each of my seven children a copy for Christmas. Highly recommended!
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Summary: Simple and a Beautiful cover
Review: As someone who has read this "great" work several times, both as a child and as an adult, I have to say after you get past the nicely bound and elegantly designed cover one will find that it is one of the most contradictory, melodramatic and poorly written works ever produced. While, early on the plot is interesting despite its painfully simplistic retelling of Sumerian, Egyptian, Chinese and jumbled Hebrew mythology, blended with a generous helping of Platonic philosophy, it quickly devolves into unremitting tedium and gratuitous violence.
On the one hand the reader is faced with the daunting task of plowing through pages of genealogical chronicle "as so and so begat so and so" seemingly repeated ad nauseum, interspersed between accounts of the supernatural protagonist's attempts to pummel his human guinea pigs into everlasting submission. God, the main protagonist of the story, even goes so far as too bring forth a great flood as a last resort, in an attempt to kill all but the most timid and easily controllable servants, but is undone by the seemingly ubiquitous "bad seed". Following this disastrous attempt to regain control over his minions God's muddled plan quickly spirals out of control, eventually leading to (a mixture) of fire, brimstone, plagues and pestilence, which crescendos in his hackneyed threat to destroy all of creation and lock everyone up in one of two metaphysical prisons (heaven and hell). Eventually, the humans in the story get so tired of God's megalomania and sociopathic behavior, they lure him to Earth-he transmutates into a man like Zeus was apt to do-and taking a page out of his own book, humiliate, torture and finally put him to death.
Predictably, however, with a twist right out of the most melodramatic of Victorian Novels, a la Charles Dickens, it turns out that God had simply changed himself into human form for the purpose of getting himself killed and afterward returns to his metaphysical abode unscathed-yeah, that's the ticket. At this point the plot devolves into what amounts to a confusing, if not, altogether incomprehensible descent into gibberish, which is rendered in the form of fantastic apocalyptic dreams, visions and ramblings that rivals the most bizarre opium induced visions of Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Aleister Crowley.
For all its pomp and circumstance the Bible fails miserably in inspiring anything but a distressing ennui, except in the most simple-minded and disturbed of readers. Its fundamental tenets are the absurdest fancy, a world turned upside down, a mythological buffoonery, its contents being the hollowest and most senseless display of words ever lapped up by simpletons, while its presentation being the most repulsive and nonsensical rubbish, recalling the rantings of a bedlamite.
While some steadfastly claim that this book provides solace and peace, I could not find any. Instead, what I did find was an almost unending parade of debauchery, destruction, violence and death. All in all, this book is at best a horrible horror novel, which mindlessly rehashes themes better left to Stephen King, Anne Rice and H.P. Lovecraft. Finally, I offer a closing warning in regards to the reading of this work, which has been known to cause confusion, self-loathing, feelings of worthlessness, erratic behavior, delusions of grandeur and extreme violence in its readers, precede only if in sound mental health. But if you don't get around to reading it you are not missing much and will probably be a lot better off and happy for it anyway.
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Summary: KingJamesVersion of the Bible is Big, Fancy, & High Quality
Review: I love this KingJamesBible. When I first picked it up, it was really really heavy. My back was hurting, just holding it for so long. And it was also big. Very very big. This KingJamesBible has beautiful pictures of Adam & Eve, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Creation Account, etc. The pages are gold gilded, and the unique thing about this KingJamesVersion, is that the pages ARE NOT the usual thin tissue Bible paper, but it is strong paper that isn't easily bendable or breakable. It's the shiny kind of paper, where you can kind of see your reflection in it. It's almost like cardboard paper. This KingJamesBible is also good because the old english spelling IS NOT updated. They left it alone, and that is really rare these days. These days, publishers like Nelson, Holman, World Bible Publishers, Cambridge, etc. change the old english spelling in our beloved KingJamesBible. Here's an example: "Broided" IS NOT changed to "Braided" (1 TIM. 2:9), "Throughly" IS NOT changed to "Thoroughly" (2 TIM. 3:17), and "Cloke" IS NOT changed to "cloak" (ISAIAH 59:17), in this KingJamesBible. Everything is left untouched and preserved. Praise to "Thunder Bay Press" for publishing the true KingJamesBible. I highly recommend this Beautifully Polished KingJamesBible. Remember, DON'T trust the modern Bible translations.....
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Summary: Simply beautiful
Review: If you love to have a beautiful copy of the Bible in your bookshelf, this is a must. KJV Bible with many illuminations from the medieval era. The illuminations are mostly same as printed in Turner's large, expensive edition of the NRSV published in 1995: but mostly the illumations are much bigger and the book is much much inexpensive! One thing I feel pity is that this Bible does not contain the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books, which were published in the original KJV.
I enjoy reading the poetic, though out-dated, translation with so many beautiful illuminations!
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Summary: Beautifully Illustrated Bible
Review: My wife and I recently bought this Bible, and we love it. The hundreds of illustrations and decorative borders are beautiful, and we like the large, thick pages. I was surprised by how big and heavy this Bible is. I usually prefer to read more modern translations, but the older English of the King James Version is a perfect complement to the Renaissance-era artwork. If you like illuminated manuscripts or religious art, you'll appreciate this Bible.
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Summary: Absolutely Gorgeous
Review: This edition of the Bible is a pure joy to look at and read. It combines the great beauty of Renaissance art and bookmaking with the text of the Bible considred by many to be the finest prose in the English language, that of the King James version. The design for this edition is based on one of the mastterpieces of fifteenth-century art and bookmaking, the incomparable two-volume Latin Vulgate Bible commissioned by Federigo di Monefeltro, duke of Urino. This rare treasure was completed by the Florentine book dealer Vespasiano da Bisticci in 1478, its text having taken the scribe Ugo Comminelli of Mezieres four years to compose by hand. The numerous illustratos that grace the parchment of the Urbino Bible were handpainted by such masters as Domenico and Davide Ghirlandaio, among others.
This volume contains all of the major illustrations in the Urbino Bible and features many other artistic details from that book, such as decorative borders, column dividers, and illuminated and historiated initial capitals. The extraordinary beauty of the illustrations and text, together with an extensive section reserved for the keeping of family records, make this Bible an heirloom worthy of being passed from generation to generation.
Together with the text, the illustration will make you feel joyful, peaceful and uplifted.
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