The so-called Geneva Bible was used by many English Dissenters (Protestants) in the 16th and 17th Century. It had several versions beginning in 1560, which included the Apocrypha, and a more “Puritan” version in 1599. Its Calvinist/Reformed marginal notes fell foul of King James I, and the printing of the version in England was prohibited by several monarchs and the ecclesiastical authorities. While it predates the King James/Authorised Version by over 50 years, it remained the “Bible of those in the pew,” even after the KJV became the version to be read from the pulpit.
I have for a long while used a facsimile copy of the Geneva as a study and reference tool in my studies of 17th Century ecclesiastical history and theology. The Gothic print took some getting use to (but no more than 17th Century hand in manuscripts). The spelling and word use was not so much an issue having been raised with the 1611 Authorised, and being a student of the period. That said I recently bought a study copy of an Amazon printed 1560 (with “the Complete Collection of All the Texts Rejected”). The font size is about 10 point, and the modern print face is easy to read. The compiler has tried to do the “best of both worlds” by retaining the original spelling such as “u” and “v,” and I have even found some use of the Thorn in the “the” usage. This gives a bit of the feel of the original without needing to navigate Gothic print. It does lack the authentic feel as margins and marginal notes are largely absent as block two-column format is used. All-in-all it is a good compromise, and spares wear and tear on my more expensive facsimile copy.
Padre
Padre's Ramblings 