Some years ago, Peter Head put together a lovely list of historic editions of the Greek NT that are available free online. I have used that list more times than I can count. It’s wonderful to have them all in one place like that.
Many times over the last year, I have found myself wanting a similar list but for early English Bibles. So that’s what I have given you here. It should be self-explanatory. The Bibles are listed chronologically and I have usually only included the most important edition(s) of each. If you know of better sources for some of these or see a correction needed, let me know in the comments.
Wycliffite Bible (14th c.)
First complete Bible in (middle) English.
- Christ Church MS. 145 (14th c.): images and details; OT, NT, Apocryrpha
- Egerton MS 617 (c. 1390-1397): images and details; Proverbs-Maccabbees; “the earliest datable copy of the complete Bible in English”
- Egerton MS 618 (c. 1390-1397): images and details; Matthew-Revelation
- Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal books, in the earliest English version etc., ed. J. Forshall and F. Madden (1850), vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3, vol. 4
- Searchable version.
Luther (1522, 1534)
Not an English Bible, but included because it was used by many of the early English translators like Tyndale.
- 1522 NT: Luther’s “September Testament” color images
- 1534 OT+NT: color images
Tyndale (1525–1536)
- 1525 NT: select images – not finished and only 8 sheets survive
- 1526 NT: Full PDF, select images; only three copies exist, one at St. Paul’s in London which is missing 70 leaves, the one at the British Library, and one rediscovered only in 1996 at the Württemberg State Library (the only copy with an extant title page).
- 1534 NT: PDF (b/w); text
- 1534/1535 NT: his last revision, sometimes known as the “GH” edition; the basis for the “Matthew Bible”
- Pentateuch (1530), Jonah (1536): text; b/w images
- Searchable version
Coverdale (1535)
The first complete printed Bible in English; basis for the Matthew Bible where Tyndale wasn’t extant.
- 1535: b/w images
Matthew Bible (1537)
First complete English Bible licensed by the crown for sale in England; basis for the Great Bible and Taverner.
1537: color images; b/w PDFsImage may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Great Bible title page (1539)
Great Bible (1539)
It was a BIG; basis for the Bishops’ Bible.
- 1539: haven’t found one online
- 1540: b/w PDF
Taverner’s Bible (1539)
Often neglected thanks, in part, to Westcott giving it short shrift.
- 1539: b/w images
- 1551: color images
Geneva (1557, 1560, etc.)
First English Bible with verse numbers, first to use italics to mark words not in the original, etc.- 1557 NT: 1 photo (only one I can find); Reprint
- 1560 OT+NT: PDF (missing the note to the reader) color version on Google Books
- 1570: A few color images
- 1599: this has updated marginal notes which took a sharper Calvinist and anti-Catholic turn
Bishops’ (1568, 1602)
1602 was the basis for the KJV.
- 1568: color images; color PDF (missing some pages in 1 John)
- 1602: b/w images PDF
Douai-Rheims (1582, 1609/1610)
The first Roman Catholic translation in English, intended as a response to Protestant translations.
- 1582 NT: b/w images PDF
- 1609 OT+NT: ?
- 1635 OT+NT: b/w PDF
KJV (1611)
To quote Hixson (probably), “If it ain’t the King James, it ain’t the Bible.”
- 1611: color images; “He Bible” (thought to be the earlier of the 1611 printings); slightly larger pictures here
- 1611: “She Bible” (thought to be the later of the 1611 printings)
- 1767 Blayney: PDF– Thorough update behind most modern printings
Two other sources you may want to check, if you have access, are the English Short Title Catalogue (or STC) and Early English Books Online.