BOOKS: SAUCY CLASSIC FULL OF TRUTH; THE BIBLE (Penguin Classics, pounds 14.99).

Byline: LORNE JACKSON

BRACE yourselves - this week's book is a real humdinger.

It's a saucy, salacious, savage read, packed with visceral violence and every type of dodgy depravity known to mankind.

It also happens to be the bestselling book of all time.

But no, it ISN'T the new Jilly Cooper bonkbuster.

Instead, we're going to have a goggle-eyed gander at... the Bible.

"Hold on!" you're probably thinking. "The Bible isn't exactly a new work of literature." True.

However, Penguin Books has just produced a handsome edition, included in the publisher's "Classics" list for the first time.

The decision to slot the Bible into the literary canon, alongside Oliver Twist, Huckleberry Finn and Pride And Prejudice, is controversial.

After all, for most Christians, the Bible stands outside conventional conceptions of literature.

It isn't merely a body of welltold tales - it is the truth, pure and simple.

And the gospel truth at that.

Furthermore, they believe that its lessons aren't ultural, but moral.

Which means that to place the Bible in a list of world classics is to demean the knowledge within.

It is almost the same as ignoring the revelatory truth behind Einstein's equation E=Mc squared, while admitting that it is "one snazzy soundbite".

But I believe Penguin has made the right decision.

Especially since the company has also published classic versions of other important works of spiritual guidance, such as the Koran and the I Ching.

Regardless of its veracity, the Bible's literary merits are undeniable - especially the King James Version, that rich and rewarding English translation produced in the early 17th century.

(And the one that Penguin has chosen to publish.)

This mighty work didn't just influence the ethics of Englishspeaking people from around the world. Its robust language and intricate phraseology were equally important in the development of English literature.

John Bunyon, John Milton, William Wordsworth and Herman Melville's language and story-telling skills were inspired by the King James Version.

Reading the Penguin edition, one of the first things that becomes apparent is how patchwork the Bible really is.

Included in this single edition are the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Apocrypha.

Clearly, there are distinct variations in style between each book.

But huge differences are also apparent within the volumes.

That is because the three books aren't just three books.

They are collections of writings, as is made clear when you consider the original meaning of "bible".

The word is a translation of the Greek "ta biblia", or "the little books".

Each book has its own style, which means that perusing the Bible can be a bumpy ride.

For instance, Genesis is heavily prosaic, with a specific interest in the lineage of the Hebrew people.

So we get stuff like this: "And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begot Jarad. And Jarad lived a hundred sixty and two years, and he begot Enoch. And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begot Methuselah.

And Methuselah..."

Well, you get the idea.

Hardly a gripping, ripping yarn, is it?

Grinding through the first few pages of Genesis, you may even find yourself sacrilegiously wishing the narrative would just beget on with it.

But there are also countless moments of ferocious, fearsome poetry.

For instance, how about this from Joel? "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood."

Or from Ecclesiastes: "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

"A time to be born, and a time to die: "A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted."

Which is so good you could almost imagine it being turned into a hippy anthem.

But shhhh! Don't tell The Byrds - they may sue for copyright.

CAPTION(S):

POET: Wordsworth was inspired by the King James Version