By John Maruskin

A belated happy New Year.

If you’ve made New Year resolutions, be sure to drop by the library and pick up some books about how to make them happen. If you want to forget about your resolutions, come to the library and get a stack of good books to read and enjoy. I encourage you to resolve to read for enjoyment.

When you come to the ibrary, be sure to stop in the lobby to see a remarkable display of replicas of historic Bibles from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, along with real pages from Bibles printed between 1549 and 1769.

These books and pages were loaned to the library by Clark County resident, Larry Carmichael.

One of the highlights is a replica of the 1769 Revised Standard Oxford Edition of the 1611 King James Bible. Benjamin Blayney created that edition using standardized spelling, punctuation and grammar from the first (1755) edition of Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary.

In the same display case is a replica of a book I’d never heard of before, an 1841 Hexpla. A Hexpla is a book that shows the text of ancient Greek manuscripts of the New Testament across the top of two concurrent pages, while printed side-by-side on the bottoms of those pages are versions of the Greek text as translated in the 1380 Wiclif, 1534 Tyndale, 1539 Cranmer, 1557 Geneva, 1582 Rheims, and 1611 Authorized versions of the New Testament.

The historic importance of this collection is obvious. Equally wonderful is the aesthetic quality of the print and layout of the different Bible pages. Give yourself some time to study the print and the wording of the various editions. This display is a remarkable tutorial on the development of the English language. As Mr. Carmichael pointed out to me, William Tyndale, who was the first to translate an English Bible from Greek and Hebrew texts, may have had a greater influence on the development of English than William Shakespeare.

The library sincerely thanks Mr. Carmichael for letting us show his collection.

This is a perfect time to remind everyone that part of the mission of the Clark County Public Library is to display art and artifacts that residents have collected. If you have a collection of objects or papers or pictures that you think would make a good display, please stop in to see me, or call me at 859-744-5661, ext 110; email john.clarkbooks@gmail.com.

In the past Clark County residents have allowed the library to show excellent collections of everything from 4-H projects to porcelain birds to Red Barn Dinner Theater Programs. These collections are all part of the lively and interesting history of Clark County and I’ll be glad to help you display yours.

Programs this week

Tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m., Tamera Rehnborg continues her popular Spiritual Writing workshop. This month Tamera will discuss the difference between Chronos and Kairos, two concepts of time. Bring writing materials and your imagination because Tamera gives writing prompts attendees work on during the workshop.

Wednesday at 2 p.m., Kentucky Picture Show presents a 1946 classic starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a rich family. Before the complex case is over, he’s seen murder, blackmail, and what might be love.

Wednesday at 7 p.m., The Engine House has reopened, so Reference Librarian, Jeff Gurnee, is back every Wednesday night with new, better, and more marvelous Trivia challenges to wrap your brain around.

Friday at 10 a.m., Write Local begins a new year of scribbling and word processing.

Saturday at 10 a.m. till 4 p.m., Outside the Lines Adult Coloring.

See you at the Library in 2018.

John Maruskin is director of adult services at the Clark County Public Library. He can be reached at john.clarkbooks@gmail.com.