Evening star., 1925-10-13
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
I. G.. NJ

!. G.. VI.
THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE
WORLD. A. Edward Newton. The
Atlantic Press.
A. Edward Newton. collector OF
rare editions. is himself d. rare edl-
tion, SO to speak. since clearly he Is
man In love with his job. PROOF OF
this steps out from his work lreeiS'
In an obvious zest Of pursuit, IN the
bubbling exhilaration Of discovery, In
the instinct--natire save WIN ehe
pure miser-to share the fruits or a
happy employment. Now this Is a
circumstance 80 unusual AZ to give ~
the features Of an actual phenomenon.
And this Joy in ones JOB susGests
the dramatic situation. coior1ui ana
thrilling, that would be created IL
any considerable proportion OF men
and women we're deeply and passion
ately in lose with their work. WHAT
a fund Of collective Joy and spon.
taneity Of effort would then ensue!
What a conquering spirit or hiRn
achievement would be released under
every mans adventure or farlnG
forth daily into an occupa ton CHOSEN
freely by himself out OF u world Hiied
with every sort of endeavor.
Instead nobody-almost nobody
chooses deliberately out OF his own
aptitudes and affections that which
shall be his' work for liie. Rather b
he driven by events s-presslire OF inc
;,lI-wise elders. the max ke9hllt eHpeoi
ent Of the hour, too little courage ana
too much tndolence-lnto an occupa,
ton that entails IA practical slavery
q a
fact that the greater part or ,h"
world is chained to uncongenlal sn.
ployment, drying up the juices OF
r,.rsonaI life and creating an atInos-
nhere destructive to the Joy that Hes
in work chosen out OF love Tor H. out
Of conscious capacity for II. however,
we are running away from Ed"atu
Newton. Let's get back to this happy
hunter of books, TO this man "hose
expansive humor and generously OIL
fered partnerships save MIN from
what might otherwise prove an eA
elusive and h!gh.brow occupation Oh
narrow range and limited appeal.
You have, from the title, guessed
the greatest book in the world.
And here Mr.. Newton takes US oacR
over the days when our Bible was IN
the making story that Tor Flcls
situde and ultimate triumph READS
like the history OF conquerlhs
people. In general effect this is the
story Of a world learning TO read. the
Bible its primer. then finally It's
classic. At the outset this author
asks US 70 stop with him a minute
10 nav tribute TO the art OF reading
as. beyond question, the greatest OF
achievements, the art by way OF
which everyman is enabled to gather
70 himself the best OF all that has
been done and said throughout the
long ages OF mans progress into the
present.
There are. it turns out. many Bibles.
Let us--in an opposite direction from
that Travelled by Mr.. Newton-take .
up the one In daily use, the one tifat
is turned out yearly in something
ever 10000 copies. This is the b!oie
Of King James. son of Mary queen
Of Scots. come over TO rule Ensiand
4 "bornhas-ic pedant. some say. but
10 the mind of this author James
would have been a scholar had he
not been a King. To him we are In
debt for our Bible. In open mind
this King agreed TO ITS retrans!ation
as possible means Of setting the
many bitter disputes and schisms 70
which II was giving rise. In a pro
cedure like that OF d modern business
man he organized the forces or this
enterprise according time and means
and liberty for its scholarly consum'
nation. The result Of this vas the
Authorized Version, our Bible OF TO-
day. NO book has ever had. no oooH
can ever have. the influence OF the
English Bible 1t did for prose what
the first folio OF Shakespeare did Tor
verse. It Is an older, q nobleT and a
greater book. Poetry is for our e1aIt'
ed moods: prose does the work OF the
world. The Bible gave character, not
only TO our tongue but to the people
who used It." Moving. for the moment.
UP into the present, Mr.. Newton gives
short shrift to the ambitious students
and wordmakers and poetizers VINO
are just now busy improving upon tne
a>hola rship and genius that went INTO
the Authorized Version OF the time or
King James. With his usually genial
humor whitfield Off to needle point
he also takes account OF other
ma rauders that in evil intent perlod.
cally hover about the classic biblical
struc,ure erected IN the reign OF hine
James.
With this bit OF refresnlnenl de Inc
hands Of our own familiar Bioie II y
now interesting to go back with 20
ward Newton to the time when the
invention OF Johannes Gu;enDers
made II possible for the laborious
handwork Of the monks Of that period
and of much earlier times to pass
to the easier and greater output OF
the printing press. The Latin Biole
the Vulgate. or parts Of IT, became
The immediate field Of the new and
wonderful invention. So the Guten
berg Bible came into existence. And
here Mr. Newton. book hunter. goes
of into an interesting speculation as
TO the money value Of this Bible. put
ting his finger exactly upon the places
where II may be seen, bringing into
momentary prominence certain insti
tutions and certain individuals who
possess copies OF this Bible. OF
worth that sounds truly fabulous
Here, among many other stories OF the
fortuuates Of our holy writ Is thai
Of the emergence Of printed English
Bible at the hands Of William Tyn
dale, called the father Of the English
Bible. Clearly man OF resolute mino
and temper, who, without permission
and against the law, made new and
more available translation, thereby
turning himself into a criminal. nee
ing from the law to Antwerp. where
finally, ne suffered death for his OBJ
d,,rate defiance Of the Kings law
BY Tyndale's time politics and re
lision had joined hands In their long
partnership Of murderous and un
Christian suppression of all opposi
ton. Among the many interesting
Bibles that this period Of its develop
ment produced is the Geneva Bible
the most popular OF the translations OF
it's time. ut had a romantic back
ground. 1t was the Bible OF the
Reformat tion. the Bible OF Calvin and
nna THAR &nlloUArs IL Waa OF