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A review by tideseekermystery
The Book of Books: A Biography of the King James Bible, 1611-2011 by Melvyn Bragg
2.0
I genuinely can’t tell what the focus of this book is.
There is a completely irrelevant chapter denouncing Richard Dawkins, stuff about language, history and slavery.
MB doesn’t have a bibliography which makes me doubt the rigour of his research. He also speaks in dangerous general statements: “people thought... slaves did X ... Protestants believed ...” without backing up his claims with specific names or quotes. This seems insufficient even in a work of popular history. It wouldn’t be sufficient for a Wiki page or GCSE coursework.
It rapidly descended into unfocused miscellanies after the early chapters.
Bragg’s sentences either have too many clauses, or are fragmented.
Far too hyperbolic about the KJV’s influence, conflating the KJV with all bibles.
I wanted to like this but steadily became confused, then bored, then annoyed.
There is a completely irrelevant chapter denouncing Richard Dawkins, stuff about language, history and slavery.
MB doesn’t have a bibliography which makes me doubt the rigour of his research. He also speaks in dangerous general statements: “people thought... slaves did X ... Protestants believed ...” without backing up his claims with specific names or quotes. This seems insufficient even in a work of popular history. It wouldn’t be sufficient for a Wiki page or GCSE coursework.
It rapidly descended into unfocused miscellanies after the early chapters.
Bragg’s sentences either have too many clauses, or are fragmented.
Far too hyperbolic about the KJV’s influence, conflating the KJV with all bibles.
I wanted to like this but steadily became confused, then bored, then annoyed.