Cambridge Wide Margin Reference Bible (NASB)

Like trying to hold water in my hands ... that's what my first experience with the Cambridge Wide Margin Reference Bible was like. I expected the goatskin cover to be flexible, but this was ridiculous. Ridiculously good, that is. Wherever it wasn't supported by my hand, this Bible gracefully plunged toward the floor, almost like it was wet. I half expected it to be dripping, but of course it wasn't. That's the illusion a fine, flexible binding can give. Though the New American Standard Bible (NASB), the translation featured in this edition, is often described as "wooden," this wide-margin felt anything but. It was the best Cambridge binding I've ever witnessed, and one of the best Bibles I've ever handled, period. The epitome of limpness.

For years, Cambridge has been a name to conjure with in the world of Bible publishing. They've been publishing Bibles since 1591, so they've had time to work out the kinks. And at a time when publishers left and right began to let the standards slip, it seemed that Cambridge was holding the line. Sure, there were disappointments -- stiff calfskin, muddled imprints, and so on -- but these were exceptions with Cambridge and not the rule as with most everyone else. When I first began the sisyphusian hunt for the ideal Bible, Cambridge was the first place I turned, and they have rarely disappointed. My favorite New Testament and my favorite wide margin are both Cambridge Bibles.

Even so, I wasn't expecting to be as impressed with the wide margin NASB as I was.

ELEGANTLY PROPORTIONED
Putting the NASB side by side with my identically-proportioned KJV wide margin, I was struck by how "right" the measurements seem. A wide margin Bible has to larger to accommodate all the extra space, but it can't be too large or it becomes inconvenient to carry and use. The Bible is 9.5 inches tall, 7.5 inches wide and 1 1.5 inches thick. The cover is razor-thin and impressively supple. The NASB, new for 2007, sports all the familiar features: art-gilt edges, two black ribbons, a sewn binding, and a section of lined paper in back for notes. This is a red-letter edition, and the red is dark and crisp. The double-column text setting is positioned to allow maximum margins on the outside and bottom of the page. Although there is room along the top and inside margin for notes, it seems a little tighter than with my KJV wide margin. The type is set in Lexicon No. 1 -- a clean, modern font, which I find quite readable. Type size is in the 8 pt. range.

The ribbons on the NASB are thicker but narrower than the wide, flat ribbons on the KJV. They seem coarser, too -- though that might mean they're more durable. Fine as they are, the ribbons on my KJV are quite frayed at the ends.

A BIBLE YOU BOND WITH
I've already written at length about the value of wide margin Bibles, so I won't belabor the point here. Suffice it to say that the wide margin Bible is a great tool for students and teachers of Scripture. You use it and bond with it in a way that wouldn't be true of most other editions. Misplace a fine Bible bound in goatskin and, alas, how sad. Can't find your old standby, well-worn from reading? Good excuse to buy a new one. But lose the wide margin you've committed ten years of notes and outlines to ... well, that's a catastrophe.

The Wide Margin Reference is obviously a "nice" Bible. In terms of luxurious materials and quality construction, it could give any of the editions reviewed here a run for their money. For me, the NASB has only ever served as a reference translation -- something to compare more fluent renderings against -- so this one isn't going to be a mainstay for me. I'm excited about the prospects of a similar edition using the ESV which may hit the market next year, and if it's as well-made as this NASB, there will be much rejoicing in my house. But for those of you who do use the NASB regularly, this edition seems like a perfect fit. In fact, the more I use it, the more I find myself thinking, Hey, the NASB ain't so bad, you could really commit to this edition. But that's the goatskin talking. I suppose that temptation is a testament to what a great job Cambridge has done on this one.

DID I MENTION THE GOATSKIN?
Try as I might, there's no way I can do this cover justice. The surface is soft, grainy, and pliable. My first Cambridge Bible bound in goatskin was a Concord Reference, and it had more of a pebble-grain finish. This one is more irregular and veiny, which I happen to prefer. It doesn't have as much character as my Allan's ESV -- or the semi-yapp edges -- but leather is a natural product, after all, so expect variations.

The real story is the flexibility, as pictured at left. Every so often, I'll hear someone criticizing a preacher on television for bending a Bible cover back like that, or folding it over like a mass market paperback. The critic assumes that, in doing this, the guy on TV is abusing his Bible. It ain't necessarily so. When a cover is flexible, it takes to such handling naturally. I snapped the photo at left before I took the one of the NASB lying flat (top right). If I'd done that with your average "genuine leather" Bible, the cover would be bent or creased as a result. But this goatskin has the flexibility of, well, skin. It moves under your fingertips as you handle it.

That may seem extravagant, even sensual, but I'd suggest it's imminently practical, too. When you open this Bible, it stays open -- whether it's on a table or in your hand. Because of their size, wide margins can be a handful when teaching, particularly if you're one of those people, like me, who stray from the podium and can't even take a breath without throwing in a gesture. A rigid leather cover is a two-handed job. The weight balances oddly and it always wants to close. You can solve this problem in one of two ways. A smaller hardback like the Journaling Bible can be pinched between thumb and forefinger and voila. (If it were larger and thicker, though, there might be a problem.) Or, a flexible goatskin cover like this one can be managed with one hand. You rest the spine in your palm, curve your fingers around it, and the covers puddle on either side -- perfection.

A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME?
Every so often, I get an e-mail telling me how good Cambridge Bibles used to be. These are guys who remember back not just to the slipcovers with the groves of academe on the side, but to the shiny gold boxes with the black labels. Old-timers. Collectors. I understand where they're coming from. We have a shop in town with a cache of vintage Cambridge Bibles, and when I saw the stack of gold boxes my heart skipped a beat. (If you're in the market for a KJV bound in turquoise water buffalo hide, I can now point you in the right direction, too.)

But looking at the Wide Margin Edition NASB, I have a hard time believing the glory days are over. It looks like Cambridge still has what it takes, and their best editions might be still to come.

LINKS
The Wide Margin Reference NASB at CambridgeBibles.com | The Wide Margin Reference NASB at Cambridge.org

Comments

[Mark]

"Luscious" comes to mind.

By the way, ribbon markers must always be fray-checked before use. Always. It's an obsession.

And thanks for the heads up on the shop with the vintage Cambridge Bibles. If you are willing to reveal the place (privately, of course) and I can squeeze in a trip south, the first cup of coffee is on me.

[matt]

I am not a fan of the "ribbed" (grosgrain style) ribbon markers with the "squared" ends that Cambridge uses sometimes. I prefer (trying not to be snobbish...hehe) either satin or silk similiar to Allan's Bibles.

I agree that "fray check" is a must.

[matt]

my Concord KJV bound in goatskin is extremely limp...more so than any other bible that I own.

[Jesus Saenz]

The dimensions and layout are very similar to the NASB In Touch Ministries Bible from The Lockman Foundation. Both are double column, the ITMB does not have cross references where as the Cambridge does. The Cambridge is also wider due to the center column cross references and the margins appear wider as well. The Lockman NASB however is not available in goatskin only calfskin. I do not think that I will get the Wide Margin NASB from Cambridge as I already own the ITMB. After this review however, I am waiting anxiously for it to be released in the ESV!

[Scott Sackett]

I'm glad you warmed up to the NASB! I've been eyeing a Pitt NASB at the local store for a while. My resistance to a wide margin is that my handwriting leaves much to be desired and I prefer separate notes so I can hide my penmanship shortcomings. I do tend to do a lot of highlighting & underlining though.

Also, 2 bills is outside this starving artist's budget (why the Pitt is still at the store!) and on top of that my Bibles tend to live in my backpack. I think I need a little more rigid cover as my treatment might destroy that limp cover pretty quick.

[matt]

mark,

Does the wide margin NASB have a thinline feel?

Have you heard any news when the pitt minion NASB wide margin is supposed to come out?

[Jesus Saenz]

Matt,

The Pitt Minion is a "compact" Bible designed By Cambridge using small but readable type. Cambridge then took the same type and page layout, increased the font size and added wide margins to make the Wide Margin NASB. As far as I know, Cambridge isn't going to make the compact Pitt Minion and adding wide margin to it. Also, according to the Cambridge site the Wide Margin NASB is one and a half inches thick... not quite "thin"

[J. Mark Bertrand]

Mark -- Next time you venture down into the wilds of South Dakota, I will guide you to the glowing entrance of this Aladdin's cave of turquoise water buffalo hide. You'll love it.

Matt -- Thanks for the fray check advice. My Concord is calfskin from about a decade ago, and not nearly so flexible after all that use as this new NASB is out of the box. To think what I missed all those years!

Jesus -- I'm anxiously awaiting that ESV wide margin, too.

Scott -- I understand about the handwriting. In fact, one of the things that prompted me to buy my first Bible was all the notes I'd made in the one I'd grown up with. Shaking, unformed scrawl; juvenile content. If anyone sees your notes, though, and sniggers, you could always claim that they're written in Greek.

Matt & Jesus -- I'm afraid there's a typo in my original review. I said this Bible measures 11/12 of an inch, and what I should have written is that it measures 1 1/2 inches. It doesn't have a thinline feel, but I wouldn't describe it as bulky, either. This edition is based on the Pitt Minion setting, so Jesus is right in saying there isn't going to be a second, smaller edition.

[matt]

Thanks for the clarification mark... I was trying picture a wide margin under an inch thick...hehe.

I dont know where I came up with the idea of a NASB pitt minion wide margin...must have been a dream last night.

I am also excited about the pitt minion ESV, just wish it was sooner.

[matt]

Thanks for the clarification mark... I was trying picture a wide margin under an inch thick...hehe.

I dont know where I came up with the idea of a NASB pitt minion wide margin...must have been a dream last night.

I am also excited about the pitt minion ESV, just wish it was sooner.

[matt]

Correction: also excited about the ESV wide margin

[Jeff Richardson]

Mark,

Did you notice that something was missing from the spine of the NASB wide margin? What happened the Cambridge signant?

[J. Mark Bertrand]

Good point, Jeff. Most of my Cambridge Bibles don't have that little crest on the spine, and I'm not sure when they started doing it. The New Cambridge Paragraph Bible and the KJV Cameo Wide Margin both have it, and so does their little Book of Common Prayer. I prefer as little gilding on the spine as possible, though, so I think I like the plainer look better.

[Jesus Saenz]

If I'm not mistaken, only the KJV editions have the crest. That is the crest they use as part of the "signature" for their KJV editions. If you notice, all of the Cambridge translations have their own image. The font used for the titles on the box is different as well as having their own "crest" but only the KJV's have it stamped on the spine.

[John]

Do the Cambridge gentlemen have the good sense to publish the NASB in black-letter?

[J. Mark Bertrand]

Sorry, John: "This is a red-letter edition, and the red is dark and crisp." Not my preference, either, but I think it's pretty much expected in the American market.

Jesus: I believe the crest signifies a Royal Warrant or some such. My Book of Common Prayer has the exact same design on the spine, so it's not exclusive to the KJVs. (Or if it is, it's exclusive to them, plus the BCP).

[PDS]

Wow...lots to learn. This is a great blog. We need a post on basic definitions!!! (Smile)

[Hutch]

Thanks for the blog on bindings, Mark. I'm a bit of a binding slob myself, and had never actually heard of R.A. Allens before reading your blog. I've actually just ordered my first bible from them, and eagerly anticipate it's arrival sometime this week...

Thanks for the wonderful reviews, and keep up the great work!

[J. Mark Bertrand]

Congratulations on the purchase, Hutch. Let us know when it arrives!

[Tommy Lane]

Thanks to this entry, I decided to order one of these NASB wide margin bibles from Cambridge with the exquisite Goatskin cover. I received it today from Amazon. It's everything you said it is. It's really high quality and worth the price.

[Kyle]

Thanks for the review of the Allan's ESV. I'll have to disagree on this review of the Cambridge Wide Margin. I have received two from Baker Publishing and the binding is horrible. The materials used are great but whoever is binding these editions are doing a terrible job. For a Bible of this price, the craftsmanship is greatly lacking. The cover on the outside looks great, when you look at the inside cover where the leather folds back and is glued, the first one I received looked like a middle schooler did it for a "binding" project. It was awful! The second one was set in the binding incorrectly and was coming loose on the inside. I have a Pitt Minion NASB that is wonderful, but there are some serious quality issues going on with this Bible. Talking to Baker, I'm not the only one who has had issues. I'm getting my money back. I'm glad you haven't had this problem. I really wanted this Bible to work, but alas! Now I will use the money I get refunded from this Bible to buy an Allan's ESV!

[PDS]

Sounds like the issues you experienced caused all things to work together for good! :)

[David]

Thanks for the review. Does the Cambridge NASB wide margin have a leather, synthetic, or paper glued lining. Thanks.

God Bless,
David

P.S. Thread blocker on the ribbons is a must. :-)

[PDS]

Thread blocker?

[matt]

thread blocker is also called "fray check"...it is a liquid that you dab on the end of cut ribbons to keep them from fraying over time.

David - Believe the NASB has leather linings.