First Oxford Bible

The Holy Bible : containing the Old Testament and the New translated out of the original tongues

Oxford: “Printed at the Theater”, 1675. In-4°

Darlow & Moule (Rev. 1968) 719. Wing B 2673
STROZIER, Special Collections Vault -- BS185 1675.O83. Carothers p. 45

Pages displayed: engraved frontispiece of the New Testament, and title-page.

The privilege of printing and publishing the KJV belonged to the King’s Printer, but as the two universities had the freedom to print any book whatsoever Cambridge published its first KJV in 1629. Oxford exercised its right in 1675 only. John Fell dean of Christchurch and bishop of Oxford (1675-1686) was chief of a syndicate that took over in 1671 the management of the University Press, installed in the Sheldonian Theater built in 1668-1669 by Christopher Wren (1632-1723).