Geneva Bible-OE: The Bible of the Protestant Reformation [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

The Geneva Bible 1560 Edition by Hendrickson has opened my appreciation for this old treasure. I will divide my review in two categories:
1. HISTORICAL VALUE
(a). This cannot be underestimated. This IS the very first English Bible after Reformation that was available for the people in general. This was possible because the Geneva Bible was affordable, so every home was able to own it. Imagine, for the first time, English speaking man/woman/children reading the Bible in their own homes as they gather around this Geneva Bible. This facsimile shows us clearly what they read in its entirety. (I get goosebumps just thinking about it =)).
(b). The Roman fonts are clearly superior to Black (or Gothic) fonts that they used for other English Bibles (KJV of 1611 used Black fonts and it is difficult to read). Even now, I could read the Geneva Bible (1560) because of its use of Roman fonts which is easier on the eyes.
(c). The marginal notes. This is FIRST English study Bible that helps you to understand the passage through the Reformers' eyes. As a 21st century believer, you could definitely taste what they thought about particular passage at that time.
(d). The Introduction by Lloyd E. Berry is extremely informative about the development of the Geneva Bible. Very helpful for those who wish to know the history of English Bible and the value of the Geneva Bible.

2. PHYSICAL BIBLE ITSELF
(a). This Hendrickson edition is excellent! I have a hardcover edition with dust jacket and I am very pleased. It includes the Apocrypha as well. So it is little bulky but you have complete 1560 edition of the Geneva Bible.
(b). The pages are of great quality. It is not thin like our regular Bible. It is not printed on "white" paper but rather "beige" kind of color to enhance the sense of antiquity.
(c). The binding according to the publisher is "Smyth Sewn" (stitched). The copy will last for a long time.

Overall, I am very pleased. If you decide to purchase it, you will not be disappointed. So if you love Church History, this Bible is for you! Excellent value for money.

I received the leather-bound version of this Bible about a month ago. Due to binding issues, I returned it for another copy, then yet another. I finally went with the hardcover version, and so glad I did! If you're on the fence as to which one to get, I recommend the hardcover.

LEATHER VERSION:
The quality of the Bible is above average, but could be better. The leather is a bit stiff. The gold easily wears off and shows the slightest marks. The binding isn't very tight and due to the sheer number of pages, it just feels like it's going to fall apart after a few months of reading. I guess I'm used to Cambridge and Oxford Bibles being more supple with a tighter binding. Mine came bound crooked, with the inside pages bound with only 2mm-4mm (4 at the spine and 2 at the outer edge) between the pages and the leather edge at the top, but about 8mm-6mm at the bottom. The pages themselves were physically bound at an angle. I returned it to Amazon, and they sent me another one. Not as bad, but still bound crooked so I returned it again and got a refund.

HARDCOVER VERSION:
I just received the hardcover version as a present. If you're debating which one to get, hands-down get the hardcover version. The binding is tighter, the pages aren't covered in gold (that easily wears off) and it's just a better look altogether for the size of the Bible.

The paper on both versions is excellent. Very clean, white, just the right thickness and brightness. I was pleasantly surprised! The dark text doesn't show through the other side, but it's not too thick. Feels slightly thicker than the Oxford Clarendon KJV Bible paper, and acid-free, but not too bright on the eyes. The printing is nice and dark and very clear, probably the best I've seen on any Geneva Bible reprint ever (and I've owned pretty much every reproduction made in the past 10 years). There are very few (if any) smudge marks.

It's a bit large, which is to be expected I guess considering the margin notes. I measured it at 9.5" tall X 7.75" wide X 2.75" thick. It would have been much nicer (read thinner) if they had omitted the Apocrypha and included the Introduction as a booklet instead of including it within the Bible itself.

I'm very pleased with this facsimile edition and heartily recommend the hardcover version. The leather version should not have been made as it's too large a Bible for the binding and due to the looseness of the binding the publisher appears to have had problems binding them.

There is a readily available edition of the 1599 Geneva Bible, published by the Tolle Lege Press, which has a number of attributes that some readers will appreciate: it's thinner than this facsimile reprint of the 1560 version, lacks the Apocrypha (though it does contain those books on the CD-ROM) and is generally more portable. That's a nice alternative for those who do not necessarily want a huge text whose old-fashioned typesetting involves the use of what looks an "f" in place of "s" and frequent substitution of "u" for "v" and "i" for "j." The volume you are looking at here is the Geneva Bible as its original readers encountered it, typography included. It is bulky and not in any way modernized. These are not complaints of mine (far from it, actually), but solely intended to help consumers pick out which version will be more useful to them.

There are many for whom Tolle Lege's 1599 Geneva Bible, with its church-militant presentation, will be attractive. I happen to think that edition is a bit rinky-dink and offensively over-eager.

For literary scholars, in particular scholars of sixteenth century England, however, THIS Hendrickson reprint of the *1560* edition is an absolute must-own: FINALLY, someone has seen fit to republish---and package beautifully---the standard Lloyd E. Berry edition we all have to work with when we study the English Reformation and the Elizabethan Renaissance. Up until now, obtaining a copy of the 1560 facsimile has been prohibitively expensive. Now it's less than $50. And the book is gorgeous. This is the hardline Protestant Bible Sidney and Spenser read. The glosses were, in some quarters, as influential as the text itself. Also, this version includes the Apocrypha, and no one with serious interest in the intellectual or theological history of the West can afford to overlook, say, Ecclesiasticus (Jesus Ben Sirach), Maccabees, or (perhaps above all) Wisdom.

Now if only someone would reprint a facsimile of the other pre-1611 English Bibles to which such authors had access (e.g., the Bishops' Bible). What a boon that would be. Fortunately, there is a good and affordable edition of the Vulgate in print right now---at least we have that much.

In any case, this Bible is a cause for celebration for those of us who prefer our historic editions unencumbered by religious polemic. This is a text one can study for its literary and theological import without having to deal with obnoxious divines blathering on the cover about "restoring American faith" or the like. For my $50, you can save the polemics and proselytizing for the choir and give me the big book itself. For believer and unbeliever alike, the text, not garish, churchwardenly presentation, is what should really matter.