1612 Quarto First Edition King James New Testament Printed By Robert Barker in London-Bound With The Book of Common Prayer, Great Bible Psalter, and The Whole Book of Psalms

Importance: “The aim of those who produced King James's, or the Authorized, Version of the Bible was not to produce a new translation, but to make a good one better. It was a continuation, a refinement, a synthesis of all that had gone before. The greatest monument of English prose, no book has had greater influence on the English language or on the character of English-speaking people…” (Thomas, Alan G. Great Books and Book Collectors. Spring Books, 1988, p. 110.) The early history of the historical stand-alone King James New Testaments starts with the printing of the first duodecimo format in 1611 (Herbert 310), which was the first single column printed, with only 3 copies in a private collection and 3 recorded institutional holdings. Finally, the printing of the first  quarto format in 1612 (Herbert 318), which was the second single column printed. The quarto in particular is said to have been printed under the direction of Lancelot Andrews (1555-1626), at the proposal of King James