Offered here is an authentic 1614 Geneva Bible, printed in London by Robert Barker, the King's Printer, and identified as Herbert 330. This is one of the last great editions of the famous Geneva Bible produced during the reign of King James I, at a pivotal moment in English religious and political history.

The volume retains its engraved general title page dated 1614, together with the biblical text, Geneva marginal annotations, and theological appendices. It has been sympathetically rebound in a later full leather binding, preserving the original seventeenth-century text block for future generations.

Although imperfect, this remains an exceptional survival of one of the most influential English Bibles ever printed.

Bibliographical Identification

• Edition: Geneva Bible
• Printer: Robert Barker
• Place: London
• Date: 1614
• Herbert: 330

Condition

The Bible has been professionally rebound in full leather with marbled endpapers, almost certainly during the twentieth century. The rebinding is clearly intended as conservation rather than an attempt to imitate an original seventeenth-century binding.

Features include:

• Original engraved title page dated 1614
• Original seventeenth-century laid paper
• Strong black-letter printing
• Extensive Geneva marginal notes
• Decorative woodcut initials throughout
• Good margins with comparatively little trimming
• Moderate age toning and expected wear consistent with age
• Modern conservation binding in excellent structural condition

The biblical text and numerous theological appendices remain present, including:

• The Summe of Holy Scripture
• Certain Questions and Answers touching the Doctrine of Predestination

The pattern of loss is typical of well-used Geneva Bibles, as the engraved titles, maps, genealogies, and terminal concordances were among the leaves most frequently removed or lost during centuries of use.

Historical Significance

Few books had a greater influence on the English-speaking world than the Geneva Bible.

First published in Geneva in 1560 by English Protestant exiles during the reign of Queen Mary I, it became the Bible of the English Reformation. It was the first English Bible to employ verse numbers throughout and included extensive marginal notes explaining difficult passages from a distinctly Reformed perspective.

These annotations proved enormously popular among ordinary readers, ministers, and scholars.

The Geneva Bible was carried across the Atlantic by the Pilgrim Fathers aboard the Mayflower in 1620, making it the Bible of the early Puritan settlements in North America.

Printed During the Reign of James I

This volume was printed in 1614, only three years after the publication of the KJV Bible of 1611.

Although King James commissioned a new translation, the Geneva Bible remained the preferred Bible of many English households for decades. Readers valued its familiar language and especially its detailed explanatory notes, which the new King James Bible deliberately omitted.

Thus this Bible represents a fascinating transitional period in English history when the Geneva Bible and the newly issued King James Version were printed and sold simultaneously.

Robert Barker

This Bible was printed by Robert Barker, the King's Printer.

Barker holds a unique place in printing history. He was responsible not only for many later Geneva Bibles but also for printing the first edition of the King James Bible in 1611.

Owning this volume therefore places one within the earliest generation of English Bibles produced immediately following the appearance of what would become the world's most famous translation.

The Geneva Bible's Influence

The Geneva Bible was the preferred Bible of many of the leading figures of the Elizabethan and early Stuart periods.

It was read by:

• William Shakespeare
• John Bunyan
• Oliver Cromwell
• The English Puritans
• The Pilgrim Fathers

Its language profoundly influenced English literature, theology, and political thought.

The extensive marginal notes also helped shape Protestant doctrine throughout England, Scotland, and the American colonies.

Imperfections

This copy is an imperfect example of Herbert 330, with the following known losses:

• Lacking the engraved New Testament title page (normally dated 1613)
• Lacking the original Concordance
• Lacking the Genealogies
• Lacking the Maps

Collectability

While this copy is imperfect, it remains an authentic and highly desirable early seventeenth-century Geneva Bible from one of the most historically significant periods in English printing.

Dimensions:

• Weight - 1.51KG
• Height - 22.8cm
• Width - 18cm
• Thickness - 7.5cm