Frederic G. Kenyon (1863–1952)

It's really too bad this book didn't make it to lucky number seven.

To explain textual criticism -- the recreation of an ancient writing known only from copies of copies of copies -- is very difficult; there are many, many things one must explain all at once: the need to do it in the first place, the sources (manuscripts), the versions (translations into other languages), the genealogy (family tree of the manuscripts), the methods (canons of criticism), and more. And that's just for the New show more Testament! It's a big job, and there is no good place to start, because you have to know it all at once. Most books don't do very well even with the New Testament, and they don't even try to include the Hebrew Bible.

This book was an exception: It included both Old and New Testaments, and it explained things quite clearly if not in tremendous depth. This caused it to go through several editions in its author's life, and even a posthumous fifth edition revised by A. W. Adams.

Unfortunately, the field marches on, and a lot has been done since Adams's time. The book is still good; it's worth having even now. But you'll need other books to get up to date. It's really too bad someone hadn't continued to maintain it. We'd be up to about edition seven by now -- and lucky to have it. show less

Three stars is mostly for the outdated nature of the information, not the quality of the work. This was published in 1932 so when talking about things like the library of Herculaneum, it's not anywhere near up to date on the latest research. I did find it kinda amusing that the author complained about the library being filled with philosophy rather than more useful stuff.

Otherwise, this short book is exactly what I was looking for. I was able to read it over a weekend, and I got a good show more overview of papyrus scrolls and vellum codices in ancient Greece and Rome. I wanted in-depth info on how these were made and used, and this book delivered. There are a few sections discussing size or quire formats that are filled with a lot of confusing numbers that could possibly be better expressed in table or chart form. The data is probably well out-of-date now too. show less

These sentences may need a slight adjustment to reflect a gender balance: (page 46/47): 'Libraries have been formed by men and are administered by men for the use of men; and in the history of libraries it is individual men that have led the way'.

A reprint of a journal review of C. R. Gregory's Prolegomena to Constantine Tischendorf's Greek New Testament, 8th edition, written apparently before Chester Beatty (of which there is no mention)