Itsy Bitsy Bibles

Some pastors are going to hate me for this. They send me e-mails all the time, and their biggest complaint is the small type size used in so many Bibles. How can ... mature ... eyes be expected to read these things? I know some of my readers would be happy to see legislation passed prohibiting type under 12 pt., and I feel for them. Still, I just love small Bibles. No, let me take that back: I love tiny Bibles, itsy bitsy ones. The kind you can slip in a jacket pocket and forget about. The kind you can carry with you everywhere. In this roundup, I've collected three of the smallest editions in my collection: a Compact ESV rebound by LeatherBibles.com, a Cambridge Crystal Reference KJV bound by Allan's, and a Little Oxford Bible.

Let's start with the biggest and work our way down. The Compact Thinline ESV is small. The type is just over 6 pt. and the trim size is a mere 3.75 x 5.75. It offers a concordance but no references. Old eyes may find this edition unusable, but I happen to like it -- so much that I have six or seven of them lying around in various bindings: two Collins editions from the UK in hardback and paperback, two of the original bonded leather ones, a TruGlo, a bonded leather Portfolio, and this one in soft calfskin from LeatherBibles.com.

If you visit their website, you'll see that this edition is no longer available -- and for good reason. For some reason (possibly the adhesive binding), the Bible simply won't lie flat. In the photograph here, you can see that the inner part of the binding near the spine is kind of pinched together, so that the pages only spill out flower-like after the first half inch or so. Needless to say, that makes for a difficult reading experience. Having said that, the leather is attractive -- comparable to the soft calfskin used in Nelson Signature Bibles -- and it comes with two ribbons.

The second Bible in the line-up is from R. L. Allan's. It's a Cambridge Crystal Reference KJV bound in goatskin, measuring 3.75 x 5.5. The type size is comparable to the ESV, but the font seems a little more readable. When you consider how small this Bible is, under an inch thick, it's amazing to think that this is a reference Bible complete with a concordance. The goatskin cover feels exquisite, but it's a subtle luxury that only makes itself apparent with use. I wish I'd had this Bible back when I attended a church that used the so-called Authorized Version from the pulpit, because the features would have come in handy at this size. I'm not sure how this Bible, which is roughly the same thickness and width as the ESV Compact Thinline and a quarter inch shorter manages to pack so much onto the page (and offer wider margins to boot), but it does.

The last and smallest Bible in our diminutive line-up is the Little Oxford Bible. Like the Compact Thinline ESV, it offers no references, but it comes in at a mere 3.5 x 5. The sewn binding is quite supple, though it doesn't quite lay flat. The covers are French Morocco and have acquired a nice patina from use, though the ribbon is now a bit frayed. I've never encountered a smaller Bible that was actually usable -- and this one is emphatically usable, assuming you have good eyes.

The portability of these tiny Bibles is amazing. They're designed for the hand and the pocket, not the shelf. They aren't as easy to read as larger editions and perhaps they're smaller than they reasonably need to be -- but as far as I'm concerned, they're wonderful. Thanks to these itsy bitsy books, you can take a Bible with you anywhere and read to your heart's content.

Comments

[Steve Pfleghaar]

Hi Mark,

Steve Pfleghaar up here in Elk River, MN. We met at the WV Weekend and then I got to see this past summer at Northwestern. Ok enough of that it does not matter anyhow.

Question 1: I got my new Wide Margin ESV and I do love it however it did not take me long and I had to start glueing the binder together on the corners. I thought I would email the people at ESV but I know how they are down there and they would probably just tell me to return it (they are great people). However the point is Wide Margin=notes=time. So like No I do not want another bible and I do not want to transfer more notes that have been ground out over the last 25 years. Just charge me extra and build me a cover...

Question 2: Tery and I love doing inductive bible study. We have been using Kay Arthur's stuff and they print out the portions of scripture in the back in wide margin big font with lots of spacing. Great for notes. Do you know how long it will be until ESV does something like this. Also what am allowed to do if I print out some of my own portions?

Question no. 3: Are you doing well?

Steve Pfleghaar

[J. Mark Bertrand]

Great to hear from you, Steve. All is well in South Dakota. I can understand your frustration re: the unraveling cover. My wife's in a similar situation with her laptop -- the case has a crack, but she can't send it for repair because the thing is in constant use. This is why I haven't "committed" to another wide margin recently. I've been using the Journaling Bible until I find something that looks like it will stand up to heavy use. One option, of course, is to have the wide margin rebound before use -- too late in your case, of course.

I'm not sure what is and isn't allowed re: printing out the ESV text, but my guess is they're pretty reasonable about it. One thing you might consider, if you're handy, is emulating one of the Blank Bible projects indexed over at the Shepherd's Scrapbook site (there's a link at right, under "Rebinding Links").

[Christian]

I have been on the search for the "perfect" bible to bring along, I have my eyes on a sword , the cambridge wide margin KJV in Goatskin...but i also need a "dagger" in portable format, i always want a bible with me. Now i have been looking at the Allan site and i wonder if anyone seen one of these ?

Oxford Reference Ruby Edition Highland goatskin, lined inside in dark blue leather, full yapp edges. It measures 4 1/4 x 5 3/4 i thought this was good for a bible With concordance, subject index and dictionary of proper names and maps.
It sounds very lovely

//Christian