Ohio book shop will offer rare King James Bible for $85K

OAKWOOD, Ohio — Bibliophiles and history buffs, gather ‘round and take heed: An Ohio collectible book store will offer a rare first edition of the King James Bible for sale next week.

The price: $85,000.

“The King James Bible is distinctive in that it is not only one of the most treasured and long lasting translations of the Bible into English but also one of the monumental works of English literature,” company President Owen Kubik said in an announcement Wednesday.

The KJV Bible was developed by scholars under the authority of England’s King James I and was first published in 1611.

“It is still widely used in churches today and is known for some of the most beautiful prose in the English language,” Kubik said. “The words of the King James Bible resonate through our lives today. Many people may not attend church, but they recognize such verses as ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want,’ and ‘In the beginning, God created the heaven and earth.’”

Kubik said the shop is selling the rare, original first edition printed in 1611.

Via email, Kubik told the Dayton Daily News the book came from the estate of a private collector in Texas.

“The collector’s family was referred to us, as we are well-known in the rare/antiquarian book trade,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for 35 years now.”

If the book does not sell in Oakwood, the store will exhibit it at the New York Antiquarian Book Fair from March 5 to 8 at the Park Avenue Armory on the upper East Side.

“We expect to sell it in NYC but wanted Daytonians to have first crack at it,” Kubik said.

There are two versions of the first edition in circulation, he explained in his release: a “Great He Bible” and a “Great She Bible,” a reference to a typo in one version’s Ruth 3:15, in which the pronoun “he” is used instead of the correct “she.”

Said Kubik, “We have the ‘Great She’ version.”

The Bible will be on display at Kubik Fine Books, 24 Park Ave., Oakwood, from noon to 4 p.m. each day Monday until Saturday next week.

The bookstore was established in 1985.

For further information, call the bookstore at 937-294-0253 or visit online at www.kubikbooks.com.

Cox Media Group