R. L. Allan's Oxford Brevier Blackface Reference Edition

It's appeared several photos. I've mentioned it a time or two. But until now, I've never posted my thoughts on the Oxford Brevier Blackface Reference Edition from R. L. Allan. This is quite an omission, considering the Brevier Blackface was the first Bible I ever purchased from R. L. Allan, the beginning of the affair, so to speak. So why the long silence? It's one of those love/hate situations. If you think of this edition as the child of Allan's and Oxford, I love what Allan's contributed to the gene pool and feel pretty ambivalent about the Oxford chromosome. It all comes down to one little word: blackface. Whether you love or hate this edition depends entirely on how dark you like your text. If you don't like cream in your coffee or moon in your night, the Brevier Blackface might be the ticket. For everyone else, I recommend the Longprimer.

First, let me explain why I chose Oxford over Cambridge. R. L. Allan offers its own editions from both publishers, and there are actually more options to choose from on the Cambridge side of the equation. The Oxford settings of the KJV tend to look a bit antiquated, as well, both because of the font and the self-pronouncing feature, which might be nice when reading aloud, but doesn't do the intelligibility of the page any favors. Still, I chose an Oxford edition for variety's sake. By the time I discovered Allan's, I already had a shelf full of Cambridge KJVs!

THE ALLAN'S GENE
When the Brevier Blackface arrived, I held it in my hands and immediately swore off all those Cambridge calfskins. What had I been thinking? How had I ever considered those things nice, or even adequate. In a world where such covers and bindings existed, what excuse could there be for anything else? Yes, it was an extreme reaction, but consider the context. For years I'd been on this hit-or-miss journey. I wanted to be a one-Bible-guy, but there was always some reason that the edition at hand couldn't be the One. When I opened that blue box, unwrapped the paper strips binding the Brevier Blackface, and got my first look at the form, my first sniff of the scent, my first touch of the goatskin, I was ecstatic. If I'd been a Victorian heroine, I'd have promptly swooned.

The cover is flexible. The binding is sewn. The overall impression is one of refinement. And for the first time, I had a Bible that opened flat straight from the box and felt great in the hand. This was also my first taste of full yapp edges, the extended leather edges that overlap the pages, protecting the gilt while making it marginally more difficult to flip around from passage to passage.

Of all the Bibles I've featured here, this one was particularly difficult to photograph. The pebble grain is tight, the surface glossy without a hint of cheap shine. When I snapped the pictures, though, they never quite reflect what I see with my eyes. The box is marked "RL Allan 20," which by today's listing indicates a highland goatskin cover, but mine is stamped "Cape Levant Morocco" inside, which seems to correspond to today's #26. Mine also says "Oxford Binding" on the inside back cover.

I find the size of this edition particularly handy. It measures 7 and 1/8 by 4 and 3/4, just over an inch wide. As a result, it occupies an intermediate place between truly compact pocket editions and full-size references. To me, this form factor is near the sweet spot for a "carrying" Bible, the kind you tote to church -- small enough not to be an encumbrance, but large enough to be easily read and contain notes and references. In fact, this edition includes a Cyclopedic Concordance packed with all sorts of information -- various photos, a genealogical chart of the patriarchs, and index of Old Testament quotations in the New Testament, maps, and much more. Some people find this sort of thing essential. I always imagine people busying themselves with the back matter forty-five minutes into a ninety-minute sermon.

In the photos, you'll note an imperfection that's sometimes seen on Cambridge Bibles, too. The page edges are a little wavy -- in fact, if you run a fingertip along the top or bottom, you can feel the ripple. My first Cambridge Bible, a wide-margin in Berkshire leather, had the same 'feature,' only it resembled a troubled ocean and always made me think, "Surf's up!" Does it bother me? No. Your mileage may vary.

THE OXFORD GENE
What does bother me, though, is just how black the blackface type is. It's downright Gothic black, reminiscent of old German type, so black that if I go outside on a clear day and open it up, astronauts in orbit can read over my shoulder. Now if you're one of those people who thinks the problem with Bibles today is the print's too small and too narrow, and they don't use enough ink on the page, you're going to love this thing. To me, it's like reading page after page of text highlighted in bold, or maybe all-caps.

I have only myself to blame. This edition is clearly labeled "blackface," and the accompanying text samples live up to the name. But I'd never had any experience with an edition like this before so I didn't realize how hard it would be to read. Perhaps the darkness alone isn't the issue -- it's the perfect storm of blackface type, an old-fashioned font, and the self-pronouncing feature that invariably renders Jesus as Je'-sus (only with different accents over the e, s, and u so that each is voiced correctly). When I think that someone had to go through the entire Bible spelling all the proper names phonetically, I get a headache. Just think: in the old days, they'd go to that amount of trouble, whereas now you have to whine for years on end to get a simple single-column text setting!

In the final analysis, you'll either love it or hate it. An old school traditionalist with iffy eyesight will find the Brevier Blackface the ultimate reference work. For everyday use, it's a bit much if you ask me. It's a shame, though, because the size is excellent and the binding bespeaks quality, old school tradition in the best sense. If you're looking at R. L. Allan and you want a KJV, this wouldn't be my first recommendation. Still, I can't say I regret buying it. Picky as I am, I still break it out from time to time ... and enjoy.

EXTRA PHOTOS:

Comments

[matt]

These pictures are great!

I agree that self-pronouncing features are annoying. While some may like them it drives me crazy when I am reading.

[PDS]

Wow. Now that is some bold type. Thanks for the review Mark!

The full yap has always fascinated me. I've never owned or seen one in person...but I think it's cool.

[J. Mark Bertrand]

Matt -- I'm glad you like the pictures. I've just started hosting them at Flickr, so when you click on the ones at the bottom (and all future ones), you can see much larger resolution images than before. My shortcomings as a photographer will be highlighted, but readers will be able to get much better detail than before.

Paul -- I loved the look of full yapp, but when I first experienced it I was a little thrown. Access to the page is a little different, since that lip of leather is in the way. Once I got used to it, though, I was hooked.

[Brian]

Your "shortcomings" as a photographer are far from obvious Mark, I have some experience, access to over the top tools, and I would be hard pressed to do any better. I was happy to link to you at Flickr!

[J. Mark Bertrand]

You're too kind, Brian. :)

[PDS]

Will have to check one of the full yaps out one day...

You're doing a wonderful job with this site. Keep up the great work.

[Nathan]

Just some quick feedback; I much prefer your links to flickr over your previous format.

[KJVcollector]

A note on the Longprimer vs. the Brevier Blackface: My wife was kind enough the purchase a Longprimer for me for Christmas this year (I had had "any Oxford Reference from Allan" on my wish list for a long time), and, while it's a superb Bible, I wish I had looked more carefully at the text samples on Allan's web site. Aside from not minding self-pronouncing text, I really prefer having the English words added by the KJV translators in italics, which the Longprimer doesn't have but, I believe, the Blackface does.

The Bible that started my collection (now ~125?) a few years back was a used Oxford Garnet plain-text KJV found in a bookstore. It has a leather-lined goatskin cover described as "Marrakesh Persian - Nylon Sewn" on the inside and, in spite of a sad "bald" patch in one corner and a few permanent indentations, is quite handsome. As I began reading from the bible, however, I felt something was missing, which I soon realized was the lack of italics for the added words. I'd never seen a KJV without this, so I took it for granted that the italics would always be there. Apparently, however, Oxford has had more than one KJV printing without this feature.

Which, if course, won't be an issue for most. I don't mean to promote a need for the italics; rather, it just illustrates the need to be careful fo the details when shopping.

[James Thompson]

Mark,

Thanks for your comments. I may in fact purchase this Bible after reading your comments and those of Nathan, who indicated the Longprimer (my original leanings) doesn't use italics for "added" words. I'm sort of "old school" and appreciate that characteristic too. Can you confirm that the Brevier Blackface italicizes added words? And since my eyes are aging the blackface type might not be such a bother; font size and readability are my main concerns now-a-days.

[J. Mark Bertrand]

James -- I just double-checked and it appears that the Brevier Blackface does italicize the words the translators supplied.

[Kevin Maguire]

James, Allans also do a Brevier Clarendon Reference Bible kjv which is the same size as the Blackface and the translaters additional words are in italic.This is a very nice Bible and I find the text very easy to read ,my sight is not what it once was but I have no problem with this one.Just to fill you in, on the day that I bought this Bible I had both the blackface and the clarendon in my hand and the clarendon was easyier to read.I think the difference is that there is slightly more of a space between the lines. As Mark says the black text is very very dark and with the white paper and the close spacing the text is not that easy read. On the day that I made my decision other people that were with me felt the same,and I would have been one of those people who would have always went for a dark text.

[Kevin Maguire]

James, Allans also do a Brevier Clarendon Reference Bible kjv which is the same size as the Blackface and the translaters additional words are in italic.This is a very nice Bible and I find the text very easy to read ,my sight is not what it once was but I have no problem with this one.Just to fill you in, on the day that I bought this Bible I had both the blackface and the clarendon in my hand and the clarendon was easyier to read.I think the difference is that there is slightly more of a space between the lines. As Mark says the black text is very very dark and with the white paper and the close spacing the text is not that easy read. On the day that I made my decision other people that were with me felt the same,and I would have been one of those people who would have always went for a dark text.

[Scott Davis]

Mark,
Have you any opinions on the Holman Christian Standard Bible? I have been an ESV freak for years, but the HCSB has certainly gotten my attention with its fresh renderings of the original languages and it's aesthetic beauty in its type and format. I find myself going back and forth between the two translations now.

Any idea if R.L. Allans is considering a HCSB in one of their premier bindings?

Great blogsite. Glad I ran across it. God bless!

Scott Davis, RN
Missouri

[Kevin]

I was very much interested in the Long Primer. Is there a site for the U.S? I have bought several Bibles and never seem to be satisfied. Thanks -Kevin

[Jake]

Kevin,

I have the Longprimer and I love it, there is only one place I know that you can order R L Allen's in the US, EvangelicalBible.com. I ordered mine through R L Allen's and I prefer to deal with them directly, they are a breeze to work with. I checked the pricing and it's exactly the same when ordering direct from Allen's or through Evangelical Bible, they both include cost of shipping in the price, so you won't save any money ordering with the US distributor. The shipping method R L Allen uses is exceptionally fast, I received my order in less than a week here in Arizona.