The Bible and the People (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780300114249)

Since its first translation from the Latin, the Bible has become more and more accessible--and more and more influential

In the eleventh century, the Bible was available only in expensive and rare hand-copied manuscripts. Today, millions of people from all walks of life seek guidance, inspiration, entertainment, and answers from their own editions of the Bible. This illustrated book tells the story of what happened to the ancient set of writings we call the Bible during those thousand years. Anchoring the story in material evidence--hundreds of different translations and versions of the Bible--Lori Anne Ferrell discusses how the Bible has been endlessly retailored to meet the changing needs of religion, politics, and the reading public while retaining its special status as a sacred text.

Focusing on the English-speaking world, The Bible and the People charts the extraordinary voyage of the Bible from manuscript Bibles to the Gutenberg volumes, Bibles commissioned by kings and queens, the Eliot Indian Bible, salesmen's door-to-door Bibles, children's Bibles, Gideon Bibles, teen magazine Bibles, and more. Ferrell discusses the Bible's profound impact on readers over the centuries, and, in turn, the mark those readers made upon it. Enjoyable and informative, this book takes a fresh look at the fascinating and little-recognized connections among Christian, political, and book history.

Author: Lori Anne Ferrell
ISBN-10: 0300114249
ISBN-13: 9780300114249
Publisher: Yale University Press
Language: English
Published: 10/01/2008
Pages: 288
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.19lbs
Size: 9.44h x 6.48w x 0.96d

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 10/27/2008 pg. 12
Library Journal 12/15/2008 pg. 133
Booklist 12/15/2008 pg. 7
Choice 06/01/2009