Can anyone recommend a book about the history of the Bible?

[ThreeFeetTall]

I find it an interesting subject and would like to know more.

Have you looked into the book of Enoch?

The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts by Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman.

New Testament I'd suggest Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why by Bart D. Ehrman.

The Bible by Karen Armstrong. It’s a brilliant book and a great balance of history and analysis of the nature of a religious text (how far we are supposed to understand it as history/metaphor etc). One of my favourite books.

I haven’t read the Misquoting Jesus book mentioned by pp but Bart has an absolutely fascinating podcast of the same name so I bet it’s great.

Came to recommend the Karen Armstrong book as well!! Excellent read.

AD381 by Charles Freeman, goes into great detail about how the bible was put together and the history and impact of the various later schisms.

Fascinating stuff, especially the details of the warring bishops. He draws his information from surviving contemporary accounts and documents.

Another vote for karen armstrong. Her other books are interesting as well.

also interesting but from different angle is Melvyn Bragg's "The Book of Books" on the influence of King james version on british culture

John Barton The History of the Bible

Another vote for Karen Armstrong. I've found all her books to be fascinating

Thanks all! Will check these out

Bart Ehrman: The Bible, A Historical and Literary Introduction 2013

Diamand MacCulloch's History of Christianity is brilliant if rather dense. It starts way before Christ to put everything into its philosophical context, such as which languages where used by whom and why.