Harry spillane - headshot
Harry Spillane

Selling the Word of God: The Early Commercial History of the Bible

Harry Spillane

Wednesday, 17 March 2027

10:00am

1hr

Weston Lecture Theatre

£18 - (£10 student)

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How did the English Bible become a bestseller? Harry Spillane discusses the evolution of the print version of the Bible, from 1525 to the much celebrated King James version of 1611.

In Selling the Word of God, he discovers that behind each edition of the Bible lies stories of rivalries, mistakes, bankruptcies and bestsellers. Moving beyond the familiar stories of translators, Spillane discusses the printers, publishers, engravers and booksellers who competed for profit. Through tales of innovation, rivalry, financial risk and spectacular failure, he shows how commercial ambition and entrepreneurial ingenuity transformed the English Bible into a publishing phenomenon that reshaped the English book trade and religious culture.

Harry Spillane is Bye-Fellow in History at Downing and Queens’ College, Cambridge and the Anthony Whiting Scholar in Intellectual History at Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

Presented by Bodleian Libraries

The Telegraph Festival media partner University of Oxford Bodleian Libraries Festival cultural partner Oxford Martin School Festival ideas partner Oxford Mathematics Spanish Embassy The Spanish Embassy: supporters of the programme of Spanish literature and culture Spain Arts and Culture Cervantes Institute, London The Cervantes Institute, London Iberia British Airways Blackwell’s Festival on-site and online bookseller Symington Wines of the Douro Valley HM Government of Gibraltar Compassion in World Farming Pasture to Plate Old Bank Hotel Five-star hotel partners of The Oxford Collection Old Parsonage Hotel Five-star hotel partners of The Oxford Collection Oxford Brookes University Oxford International Centre for Publishing Gravita Accountants to the festival Mirabaud Private bank - London Confucius Institute Voltaire Foundation Free Speech Union Felicity Bryan Associates Princeton University Press Prestige publishing partner. Celebrating 25 years in Europe in 2024 Oxford University Department for Continuing Education Jewish Book Week Partner of Oxford Literary Festival Pol Roger Duff Cooper Prize Jim Mellon Miles Young Tim and Marion Stevenson Martin and Elise Becket Smith Jason and Heidi Smith David Isaac Mary and Cecil Quillen Other donors Yale University Press London New College New College founded 1379 Exeter College Exeter College: college home of the festival. Founded 1314 Worcester College Worcester College founded 1714 Lincoln College Lincoln College founded 1427 Magdalen College Magdalen College founded 1458 Reuben College Reuben College founded in 2019 Harris Manchester College Harris Manchester College founded 1893 Pusey House Founded 1884 New Dutch Writing Human Ecology Project MACROVegan Colbenson Festival digital strategy & web design Racalia Olive Oil Olive oil from Sicily Paul Bloomfield Ltd The Sheldonian Theatre Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies Italian Cultural Institute Oxford University Images Oxford University Images CAV Oxford The Litmus Partnership Schoolreaders Science Oxford Windrush Group The Oxford Times BBC Radio Oxford Local radio partner Conference Oxford Ox in a Box OX magazine

The Oxford Literary Festival sponsors, donors & partners

The Telegraph Festival media partner University of Oxford Bodleian Libraries Festival cultural partner Oxford Martin School Festival ideas partner Oxford Mathematics Spanish Embassy The Spanish Embassy: supporters of the programme of Spanish literature and culture Spain Arts and Culture Cervantes Institute, London The Cervantes Institute, London Iberia British Airways Blackwell’s Festival on-site and online bookseller Symington Wines of the Douro Valley HM Government of Gibraltar Compassion in World Farming Pasture to Plate Old Bank Hotel Five-star hotel partners of The Oxford Collection Old Parsonage Hotel Five-star hotel partners of The Oxford Collection Oxford Brookes University Oxford International Centre for Publishing Gravita Accountants to the festival Mirabaud Private bank - London Confucius Institute Voltaire Foundation Free Speech Union Felicity Bryan Associates Princeton University Press Prestige publishing partner. Celebrating 25 years in Europe in 2024 Oxford University Department for Continuing Education Jewish Book Week Partner of Oxford Literary Festival Pol Roger Duff Cooper Prize Jim Mellon Miles Young Tim and Marion Stevenson Martin and Elise Becket Smith Jason and Heidi Smith David Isaac Mary and Cecil Quillen Other donors Yale University Press London New College New College founded 1379 Exeter College Exeter College: college home of the festival. Founded 1314 Worcester College Worcester College founded 1714 Lincoln College Lincoln College founded 1427 Magdalen College Magdalen College founded 1458 Reuben College Reuben College founded in 2019 Harris Manchester College Harris Manchester College founded 1893 Pusey House Founded 1884 New Dutch Writing Human Ecology Project MACROVegan Colbenson Festival digital strategy & web design Racalia Olive Oil Olive oil from Sicily Paul Bloomfield Ltd The Sheldonian Theatre Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies Italian Cultural Institute Oxford University Images Oxford University Images CAV Oxford The Litmus Partnership Schoolreaders Science Oxford Windrush Group The Oxford Times BBC Radio Oxford Local radio partner Conference Oxford Ox in a Box OX magazine