Bible Design and Binding

Welcome to Bible Design Blog

Bible Design Blog, as the name suggests, is a site dedicated to the physical form of the Good Book. Innovative design, quality binding, that's what it's all about. If you're looking for information about a particular edition, the right-hand column includes an ever-expanding list of reviews and features. 

If this is your first visit, a great place to start is the Frequently Asked Questions. And don't forget the search function! 

Selling a vintage Bible? Looking for something rare or unique? This is the thread for you. To help connect buyers and sellers, I've created this Auctions & Sales post as a master list, and I invite those of you who'd like to share auction and sales listings to post them as a comment to this thread.

Oxford NRSV Notetaker's Bible (Deluxe Cloth)

Know what would make an awesome single-column NRSV? At the risk of killing the suspense, I'll tell you. Start with Oxford's single-column, hardback Notetaker's Bible, lop off the wide margins, and give what's left the Poor Man's Geneva Bible treatment. Or, you could leave it like it is and enjoy a pretty awesome wide margin hardback which, unlike so many hardbacks on the market, is actually made like a quality book. Here it is:

 

I know, I know. It's a hardcover. And people think I don't approve of anything but goatskin. But that's far from the case. If you read through the archive of posts here, you'll see that I've been a fan of hardcover Bibles for a long while. The problem is, many of the options out there don't live up to their potential. They're glued instead of bound. The boards have tacky artwork printed right on them. They don't open flat. The paper is terrible. Sometimes, having said I like the idea of a hardcover edition, I've found myself in the awkward position of not being able to recommend one.

A QUALITY HARDCOVER
Happily, that's not the case here. Not even close. The text setting is elegant and well-proportioned and the book is nicely produced. So many books these days look like they were made by people who hate books. This one gives the opposite impression. According to the packaging it was made in Korea and uses "thicker paper that prevents tearing and bleed through." And guess what? "Its open margins are perfect for your open mind"!

 

This is a paragraphed, text-only edition that just happens to have wide, ruled margins in the Journaling Bible vein. It comes with a single ribbon. As the packaging suggests, the paper is nice and white, though you can see some "ghosting" -- i.e., the print impression from the reverse of the page shows through. Actually, this is a good example of why I prefer a term like ghosting for that phenomenon, rather than "bleed through," which really refers to whether ink applied to the page (when you write, for example) bleeds through the paper. Oxford isn't claiming the paper is opaque; they're claiming that with "a pen designed for writing in Bibles" you shouldn't experience bleed through. 

 

Above: No concordance, no maps, just a couple of blank pages at the end.

Below: Nice endpapers, too.

 

On Translation

My FAQ explains why I don't get into debates about translation:

Q. What's your favorite edition of the Bible? What's your favorite translation?

My favorite is the one I daydream about in my head. If I could name a perfect edition, I'd probably spend all my time writing about that one. Since I can't, I write about everything. But it's no secret I'm partial to the good stuff -- high end Bibles from R. L. Allan's and Cambridge, for example. I like goatskin covers a lot.

When it comes to translations, I subscribe to St. Augustine's advice. He said the way to understand the Bible if you don't read the original languages is to compare translations. Some people lament the proliferation of translations in English these days, but I see it as a blessing. As a practical matter, I typically refer to the English Standard Version when writing and teaching. I like the fact that it's on the literal side and appreciate its location in the Authorized Version tradition. Still, no translation is perfect, so I make use of both literal and dynamic versions, everything from the NRSV to the REB, the NASB to the NLT. I've even been known to dip into The Message.

Since the purpose of the Bible Design & Binding Blog is design and binding, I don't get into translation debates here. If you're interested in discussing translation issues, there are many great places to do it where the writers are much better equipped than I am to enlighten.

Then the Mother-of-All-Off-Topic-Threads comes along, and I feel the need to explain at length. By creating this post and leaving comments open, I'm also providing a venue for anyone who feels the need to talk about translation issues. I'd appreciate it if you'd confine such discussions to the comments here.

Confessions of a Shill

Last week's "Mother of All Off Topic Threads" has generated some interesting points, and I plan to address two of them. Let's start with the question of "shilling." Chuck Martin raised a concern I think is worth taking up, so I'll quote him and then reply:

I am slightly worried that Mark may be tempted to shill for some of the publishers, particularly R.L. Allen. I've noticed a large number of reviews for R.L. Allen and Cambridge products, and it appears that Mark is receiving not just one advance copy but entire sets from R.L. Allen. Yes, I do see that Mark has reviewed some products from other publishers. No, I don't believe it is inappropriate for a reviewer to receive one advance copy of a product. Yes, I understand that R.L. Allen and Cambridge are two of the highest quality houses. And no, I'm not sending Mark any supporting funds while I access his site for free. I'd just like to see a little more diversity if it is feasable.

THE OFT-FORGOTTEN FAQ

First, let me thank Chuck for raising the question. I appreciate the frankness. To reply, let me reiterate a point made in the Frequently Asked Questions, which I suspect many readers haven't noticed. Here, I explain where the Bibles I review come from:

Q. Where do the Bibles you review come from?

These days, I'm able to request review copies from some publishers, which allows me to cover a lot more ground than I could relying only on my budget. (My wife is grateful.) When I can't get review copies, I go to the piggy bank and see what I find.

By the way, if you're a publisher and you'd like to talk about review copies, check out the Publishers page.

Q. How do you choose which Bibles to review?

I'm drawn to editions that demonstrate quality production and innovative design. By "quality" I mean what some people mistakenly label luxury: sewn bindings, limp covers, good paper. There's no science to the selection process, only passion. I give priority to Bibles I think my audience will appreciate, and those I think the publishing community can learn from. I don't review everything that's suggested to me -- but I'm happy to receive the suggestions.

R. L. Allan Personal Size Reference ESV in Black, Brown & Red Goatskin

Nineteen months ago, I posted a very thorough review of the then-new Personal Size Reference ESV from Crossway. I liked it a lot, but still had a couple of reservations. For one thing, the 7.4 point type was pretty small, with a column width that stretched a bit too far. On top of that, the only binding options were a sewn genuine leather cover and a glued TruTone. (Later, that changed, as Crossway offered sewn bindings with the TruTone covers.) The review ended with a "wait and see" reflection:

I love the Personal Reference ESV, but I understand if not everyone does. For me it delivers most of the goods -- a readable, single-column setting with a clever approach to references and a relatively compact form factor. I’ve never enjoyed reading the poetry of the ESV more, and it’s never looked so good on the page before. All in all, I’m satisfied. Having said that, what I’m waiting on is a quality binding for the Personal Reference. It’s hard to commit fully until then.

At long last, the day has come. R. L. Allan is offering the Crossway-printed, sewn PSR text blocks bound in your choice of three leathers: black highland goatskin, brown highland goatskin, and a red goatskin Allan's has dubbed "Alhambra." Each comes with three ribbons, art-gilt (red under gold) page edges, and a semi-yapp cover. 

Highland goatskin is a naturally grained skin that offers unparalleled flexibility. Some covers, like the black one reviewed here, feature a pronounced grain, while others, like the brown shown here, are smoother. This variation comes with the territory. Alhambra goatskin appears to have a printed grain (like the buffalo grained ESV3), so it has a firmer feel in the hand, but this is coupled with an impressive limpness, as we'll see.

 

The Personal Size Reference ESV is a single-column text setting with cross references on the inside margin. If you can hack the small type, the formatting aids reading quite a bit. While a two-column paragraphed text is just fine, the width of the columns tends to force awkward line breaks wherever you encounter poetry. One of the advantages of a single-column setting is that the poetry has room to breath. 

 

Of course, there are trade-offs. The reason two-column settings are ubiquitous is that they fit more words into the same space. The PSR features type roughly comparable in size to Cambridge's Pitt Minion, only it's quite a bit thicker. We'll do a proper comparison in a moment, but for now it's helpful to think of the PSR on a spectrum with the smaller Pitt Minion at one end and the larger Allan's ESV1 (which is essentially a rebound Classic Reference ESV) at the other. The PSR sits right in the middle. Not as ultra-portable as the Pitt Minion, but handier than the ESV1. To me the size (7.25" x 5" x 1.25") seems perfect for carry. It fills the hand in a way the Pitt Minion doesn't, but without the extra size of the ESV1. 

 

For some time now, I've used the PSR as my daily reader. Is the type small? Sure. But I don't notice much anymore. What I do notice is the reading "drag" when I switch back to a two-column setting. The reading plan I follow is the same as the one found in the Daily Reading Bible. I removed the perforated schedule from that edition, and now it keep it with whatever Bible I'm reading through. Since there are readings from the Old Testament, the Psalms, and the New Testament, you need three markers to keep up with where you're at. Like the ESV1, the R. L. Allan PSR comes with three, which makes things easy.

 

Style-wise, the Allan's PSR takes its cues from the most recent editions of the ESV1. On the outside the chocolate brown and black editions look like ESV1s that were shrunk in the wash. The ones pictured here are advance copies, so I should note two dissimilarities. First, the ribbons here are the usual thin variety you see on most Bibles. The actual ribbons these PSRs will ship width are twice the width. Secondly, the semi-yapp covers here do not wrap around the text block at all, instead projecting straight out. Typically my Allan's Bibles arrive wrapped in paper which has the effect of reinforcing that curve. These didn't. I don't know what the production editions will look like, but suffice it to say, if your edges project like this at first, they'll begin to curve with use. My ESV Pitt Minion is doing the same, though its cover doesn't project as much.

Sneak Peek at the R. L. Allan's Personal Size Reference ESV

Just so you know, I have the new R. L. Allan Personal Size Reference ESVs in hand, and I'll be working on photos and a write-up over the next few days. Expect something early next week, which will give me a chance to live with them long enough to speak intelligently on the subject. (Let's hope.) In the meantime, I snapped a photo to prove they're here and pique your interest.

As you can see, these are the advance copies with the thin ribbons. The production Bibles will have ribbons twice this width. The red is tricky to photograph thanks to the way it changes in the light, but I'd say this shot is fairly representative.

Some Thoughts on Type Size

The Word is wordy, my friends, and to fit all those words into a handy-sized book requires some compromise. But why say it when I can show it:

I chose the font, Minion Pro, at random to illustrate the situation. The same information can be contained in less than half the space by reducing the type size by 3.6 points. And because with the Bible there is so much information to convey, small type abounds. You may feel like you're reading a microdot, but at least you're not supporting the weight of a pulpit Bible.

If the proportions are right -- column width, line spacing, and so on -- I'm willing to put up with smaller type to have a smaller book. But as a recent commenter pointed out, I'm a young whippersnapper (thirty nine) with good vision (20/20 with my glasses, if I squint). Some readers simply can't cope with type in the 7-8 pt. range without magnification.

WHEN LESS IS MORE

Bibles are often designed to fulfill a variety of tasks, based on the assumption that we'd prefer to read, study, and worship from the same volume. So in addition to the text, you have footnotes, cross references, and other "helps" shoehorned in, as well as front and back matter intended to aid reading. But you know what? Sometimes it's better to do one thing well than do half a dozen things badly.

Strip out the cross references and the notes and the back matter and what you have left is empty space, space for the text to breathe and even expand. The advent of electronic Bibles makes this kind of specialization rather sensible, since there are no space constraints in the virtual book. I don't like to read from a screen, but when it comes to study I don't usually bother anymore with the limited notes and references that can be squeezed onto the physical page. 

Paradoxically, I think less "helps" would actually be more helpful. It would help with one thing in particular, which is reading. I'm content to do away with all the advantages the helps provide (which were not available, after all, to the original readers) to better accomplish the main goal, which is to take and read.

Another Inside Look: Nelson's KJV Single-Column Bible

As promised last week, I have page proofs of the second Single-Column Bible slated for release by Nelson early next year -- this time it's the venerable KJV. I've said it before and I'll say it again: one of the factors contributing to the "loss" of the KJV by modern readers is its archaic typography. Paragraphed KJVs are rare enough, so the fact that Thomas Nelson is publishing a single column, paragraphed edition set in 10 pt. type is rather thrilling. As you can see, the specs are identical to the NKJV:

For a detailed look, be sure to open the complete PDF: KJV Single-Column Bible Layout PDF (First Proof). Note that this is not an aggressive reformatting of the text. The words supplied by the translators for sense are still set off in italics, quoted speech is not set off in quotation marks or paragraphed as in modern English. It's just the text of the KJV with the carriage returns after each verse removed. The result is quite readable in comparison to most KJV editions.

First Glimpse of R. L. Allan Personal Size Reference ESV

The second best thing to getting a package in the mail from R. L. Allan is getting an e-mail with photos attached. Nicholas Gray kindly sent along some photos of the new Personal Size Reference ESV. (For specs on the PSR, see my review.) These are advance copies with 1/5" wide ribbons, but don't worry, the production ribbons will be 3/10" wider. 

Here's the one I've been looking forward to with great anticipation: the red highland goatskin. It has dark blue leather linings and blue ribbons.

Then there's the chocolate brown brown in the same configuration we saw with the last series of ESV1s. The ribbons are green, purple, and brown.

The black edition this time around has red ribbons instead of blue, reminiscent of the limited edition ESV1 offered recently.

These should be hitting the market here in the US early in October. The price is £90. The buffalo grain ESV3s have dropped in price to £65, and the ESV1s are currently out of print, awaiting a reprint in early 2010. In the meantime, Nicholas has just inspected running sheets from the Reader's Edition, on schedule for an early November launch, and says they look great: "The India paper is writeable and white and the bigger margins will please note-takers. The print is 8% bigger than the Classic reference editions and this enlargement is quite noticeable on the page."

Inside Nelson's NKJV Single-Column Bible

Thanks to Kimberly Stephens, the Acquisitions Editor for Bible, Reference and Curriculum at Thomas Nelson, I can now share a preview of NKJV Single-Column Bible's inside layout. This is a first proof, which means any errors have yet to be corrected, but it gives a good idea of what to expect. 

The page spread above isn't high resolution, but I've uploaded a multi-page PDF which you can scrutinize in-depth. Here's the link: NKJV Single-Column Bible Layout PDF (First Proof). Overall, it looks good, and seems to deliver on the promise of a clean, readable layout. If you've been reading this blog long, you know there's one thing I really don't like about this setting: the font, which looks so much like the same one used in the TNIV Reference Bible. I know that's a subjective thing. My inner typographer wants to fix the widows and orphans, too, but like I said, this is a first look. And a very encouraging one.

More good news! Nelson will also release a KJV in this format at the same time, which means those of us who've been weeping and gnashing our teeth at the long delay in the release of a hand-sized single column KJV can weep and gnash no longer. Assuming sales are strong, there's a chance the single column settings could make their way onto the Signature Series roster. As Kimberly mentioned in her comment on Monday's post, Nelson is exploring the possibility of offering these with sewn bindings. If I hear more about that, I'll pass it along.

Q & A: NKJV Options?

Q. With all the options in the ESV, I feel kind of left out of the market, being a NKJV reader. R. L. Allan doesn't bind an NKJV text to my knowledge and Cambridge has the Pitt Minion which you reviewed positively. Is there anything else on the market that I'm not aware of?

A. Perhaps the most intriguing edition of the NKJV on the horizon is the Single-Column Bible, slated for release in March 2010. The product description sounds interesting:

"If you prefer a single-column style Bible, the NKJV Single-Column Bible is your best choice. Large-print, black-letter text makes reading easier than other single-column options, and a clean, uncluttered page design keeps visual distractions to a minimum. The Bible's size makes it convenient for travel, and the New King James Version^® is trusted by many."

There don't seem to be any examples of the layout available. I'm interested in seeing what it looks like, especially since the print is large and the page is clean and uncluttered. (If anyone from Thomas Nelson happens to read this and would be willing to share, please get in touch.) The dimensions are 8.5 " by 5.5", and the text runs to 1728 pages. The only binding options are softcover, imitation leather, and bonded leather. No indication of whether the text block is sewn, so it's hard to say whether it would be appropriate for rebinding -- given the limited cover options, hopefully it will be.

It's a shame this edition won't be part of the Nelson Signature line. If you're looking for a good NKJV, the Deluxe Personal Size Giant Print Reference and the Pocket Companion from the Signature Series are worth checking out. Do a search on this site for more information and comments.

Readers, any other options you'd recommend?