The King James Bible: Its History and Influence in Austin Feb 23, 2012 12:00 AM

The King James Bible: Its History and Influence

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.