Reading the Margins of the Early Modern Bible

Reading the Margins of the Early Modern Bible presents a new understanding of how notes in the margins of the Bible were read in early modernity. Horbury investigates the creative and surprising ways readers engaged with these margins, resisting narratives that present them as dangerous and seditious.

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The margins of early modern bibles are filled with explanatory notes that have long been denounced as seditious, traitorous, and dangerous. Little attention has been paid to the actual use of these margins by their contemporary readership. Across chapters that attend to distinct demographics of readers ^—^ editors, clerical, Catholic, literary ^—^ Horbury demonstrates the diverse reading practices of those who pursued the margins of the early modern Bible. From William Tyndale's New Testament to the impact of the King James, Reading the Margins of the Early Modern Bible reconceptualises our understanding of how the Bible was read in early modern England and presents a transformative investigation into the role that margins played in reading scripture.