The Treasure of God’s Word: Celebrating 400 Years of the King James Bible by Jack Countryman is more or less a coffee table book.  It is an attractively bound hardcover book with a soft leathery feel.  The pages have golden edge and the books general appearance is one of quality and value.  Unfortunately the pages themselves are thick and glossy, contradicting by nature the cover and golden edged nature of the work.

The Treasure of God’s Word is a celebration of the King James Bible complete with several small articles on how we God the King James Version and its influence through the years.  Stretched out between the articles are various verses and passages of scripture displayed according to theme.  At the end of the day its a great coffee table book, but not much more. Sadly once opened it lacks the elegance that it’s cover suggests.

Personally I was disappointed in how little genuine history there was to a book celebrating the 400th year of the King James Version of the Bible.  I did appreciate the encouraging selection of verses, but felt that they were under-served in their presentation.  Overall this will make a great coffee table book, but only for those who really prize the King James Version (almost to a fault).

If you love the King James Version of the Bible, its poetry and history… This book is for you. The retail price of The Treasure of God’s Word is $16.99 (hardcover), and is available around the web in places like Amazon.com for $11.55. I gave it three stars.

If you are really wanting to know more about the history of the King James Bible as well as other historical English versions of the Bible check out Wide as the Waters: The Story of the English Bible and the Revolution It Inspired by Benson Bobrick and Bible in Translation, The: Ancient and English Versions by Bruce M. Metzger.  These books are a bit more academic in nature, but provide a great resource for understanding the context from which the English versions of the Bible (including the KJV) emerged.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson as part of the BookSneeze program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”