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 The most daunting sixteenth-century undertaking in the learned world and the art of printing is the 'Antwerp Polyglot' or 'King's Bible''. It consists of five large folio volumes with the complete text of the Bible in Hebrew and Greek, in ancient Chaldee (= Aramaic) and Syrian versions, and in the official Church Latin translation (the Vulgate), followed by three volumes of 'Apparatus': a series of scholarly treatises, grammars, lexicons, text editions and commentaries referring to the texts in the relevant languages. It was printed by Christopher Plantin in Antwerp, the greatest and most versatile publisher in Europe at the time. Publication took years of preparation: starting as early as 1566 large numbers of oriental typefaces were acquired and experiments for a sound, well-designed lay-out were undertaken.