• It was the first book ever to be printed on a moveable type printing press.
• It, and parts of it, have records for the most expensive book ever sold. For instance, the Gutenberg Bible (one of the first printed Bibles) was sold for £1,265,000 at auction in 1978.
• It is the world's best-selling book. It also has the world record for paper-back sales.
• It has been translated into more languages than any other book:
  • By the year 1400, it had been translated into 14 languages
  • By 1500, the figure was 38 languages
  • By 1600, this had increased to 51 languages
  • By 1800, the total had crept up to 73 languages
  • The British and Foreign Bible Society was founded in 1804 (See Mary Jones section!)
    Translations began to multiply and by 1900 the total number of languages was 621
  • By the end of the year 2000, we can now boast of 2,261 languages into which the Bible has been translated.
• The Bible is also the best documented ancient text in the world. There are well over 13,000 manuscripts of various sections of the New Testament.

During Year 7, you will be receiving a free copy of the New Testament from an organisation called "The Gideons". A representative or two come into school, speak in one of our assemblies and then the testaments are presented. Ask your parents or grandparents whether they can remember receiving one when they were at school!

Look out for 'Gideon' Bibles in hotels and other places. We hope you never end up in prison, but they have them there too.