First edition of the authorized version of the King James Bible, 1611, Pforzheimer Collection, Harry Ransom Center.
The King James Bible: Its History and Influence February 28 - July 29, 2012
Four hundred years after its first printing, the King James translation of the Bible remains a vital work whose language permeates contemporary music, literature, and everyday speech. The exhibition tells the little-known story of one of the most widely read and printed books in the history of the English language.
Materials from the Ransom Center and Folger Shakespeare Library combine to provide a compelling look at the history of this translation, its English-language predecessors, and the social and historical context in which it was produced. The Center will be the only other U.S. venue for the exhibition following its run at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.
The Ransom Center's rich collections will also offer visitors the opportunity to see the King James Bible's far-reaching influence on the arts and humanities. From William Blake to Harriet Beecher Stowe to Norman Mailer, the language of the King James Bible has become an integral part of English-language artistic and literary production.
A complementary selection of the Ransom Center's bibles will accompany the exhibition. These exceptional works include a complete Gutenberg Bible (the first book printed with movable type), a magnificently illuminated Nicolaus Jenson Bible (1476), and the Plantin Polyglot Bible (1569–1573), a monument of Renaissance scholarship. Books printed or illustrated by William Baskerville, Bruce Rogers, and Arthur Szyk will be featured alongside biblically inspired sculpture by the English sculptor Eric Gill and silk screens by the contemporary African-American artist Jacob Lawrence.
Learn more about the exhibition
The Gutenberg Bible
The Gutenberg Bible is the first substantial book printed from movable type on a printing press. The Ransom Center holds one of five complete copies in the United States.
The First Photograph
One of the finest pieces of the Ransom Center's photography collection is the first photograph, which Frenchman Joseph Nicéphore Niépce produced in 1826.
