Bible Design and Binding

How to Carry Your Bible

Q. I like to carry my Bible with me, but I don't want to damage it. Do you have any suggestions about Bible covers or cases? 

A. Absolutely: Don't do it! At least, don't get one of those oversized, zip-around briefcase style thingies for toting around your Bible, a dozen different highlighters, and a year's worth of church bulletins. Or one of those frilly, lace-edged ones Holly Hobby ones. Generally speaking, avoid even the appearance of kitsch. Better to hold your Bible in your hand than to sheath it in one of those things.

Maybe I'm exaggerating for effect. But I'm kind of serious, too. When it comes to protecting your Bible, there are inelegant solutions and elegant ones. The advantage of the inelegant ones is that they're easy. The market is flooded with unattractive Bible covers and holders. Christian Book Distributors has a whole section devoted to them. I don't find any of them aesthetically pleasing, and some are downright depressing. 

So on to the elegant options:

(1) Bag with fitted pocket. This is my typical solution. I've selected briefcases with the problem of keeping a Bible intact in mind, so my current one has pockets to accommodate my "carry" Bible, the ESV Deluxe Compact in pigskin I wrote about recently, and also an Allan's ESV1 if I decide to bring one along (different pocket, of course). This requires some fussiness up front -- finding just the right bag -- but is painless going forward, since it doesn't require keeping track of a case, and doesn't look like you're carrying your Bible around in a protective sheath. This is the most elegant approach, because it gets the job done without calling attention to the fact. 

Above: On the left, my ESV Deluxe Compact is tucked into a book-sized pocket stitched inside a, well, pocket. 

On the right, an ESV3 dropped inside a big side pocket. Nothing else is in there, so it should be fine.

R. L. Allan's NIVC1 in Dark Brown Highland Goatskin

This is going to take some explaining. Let's start with the hat. It's a foldaway trilby from Christys' of London, and as the name suggests, it's claim to fame is that you can fold the thing up and stick it in the red tube. 

Above: A foldaway trilby from Christys' of London, a storage tube, and some gloves.

Below: The same hat, stuffed inside the tube for safe keeping.

Okay, so what does this have to do with the Allan's NIVC1 in dark brown goatskin? Is it starting to dawn on you? "Oh, no he isn't ... "

Yes. I am. Before:

Guilty Pleasure?

So your Bible's signatures are sewn together instead of glued, and the cover is calfskin or even goat, and not some unspecified mystery leather or pleather. Is that something to feel guilty about? You paid twice the going rate, even three times. Or four. Would it have been more pious to go for the cheapest edition and donated the extra cash to a good cause? Is there sometimes a little voice in your head saying something like this: "Instead of focusing on the outside so much, maybe you should trying reading what's inside." 

Since I started writing about the physical form of the Good Book several years ago, one of the most intriguing and baffling phenomena I've observed is the guilty pleasure syndrome. People who act on their frustration with corner-cutting, throwaway Bibles by doing some research and spending some extra dollars to get the kind of quality that used to come standard, only to feel guilty about it afterward. Made to feel guilty, many times.

R. L. Allan's ESV3 in Buffalo Grain Goatskin (Black and Antique Brown)

Turns out what I expected to write about the new Allan's ESV3 and what I'm actually writing are two different things. Here's what I expected: "If you like the top-of-the-line Allan's ESV in highland goatskin, but this economy has put it too far out of reach, then there's a runner up edition that might do for you. But my advice is to scrimp and save until you can make up the difference, then go with the Real Thing." Not that I figured the ESV3 would be a disappointment. I just didn't think it would hold its own in a side-by-side comparison with the ESV1. 

Only I was wrong.

I'm not going to say the ESV3 is better, because there are definitely some disadvantages to choosing the less expensive edition. But it's certainly a contender -- and for more reasons than just the price tag. So let's take a closer look.

Above: The ESV3 is available in Antique Brown Goatskin (above) and Black Goatskin.

The ESV3 shares one thing with the ESV1: the text block. Internally, the two editions are the same. Everything I wrote about the ESV1 text block is true of the ESV3, so I won't repeat myself here. What's different is what happens around the margins. For one thing, the ESV3 comes with standard gilt edges, the shiny gold treatment, instead of the red-under-gold art gilt option. Instead of three ribbons, there are just two -- but they're the same thick, high-quality markers you get with the ESV1. The cover is goatskin, but not the natural grained, leather-lined highland stuff. Instead, these skins are stamped with an attractive buffalo grain. They're stiffer, too. Flexible, but not limp. The semi-yapp edges from the ESV1 are gone as well, replaced by a more conventional not-quite-flush edge.

In other words, the ESV3 is what an Allan's ESV1 would look like if it came with a Cambridge binding from the 70s, only a little nicer. Not too shabby, if you ask me.

Above: The pages are gilt, the cover loses the semi-yapp edge, and there are just two ribbons. Still, it's quite nice.

The ESV3 is reserved yet refined, the workmanlike aesthetics upgraded by a seriously attractive goatskin cover. Remember the Brevier Clarendon in buffalo grain calfskin? This is a similar idea, only it's much more flexible. Presumably the flex is due to the grain being stamped into goatskin instead of calfskin, but I can't say for sure. The closest comparison in terms of feel would be the goatskin covers on Cambridge's current Pitt Minions, except that this is slightly more pliable.

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but I think most of us would agree that these covers qualify:

Above: Antique Brown (left) and Black.

Hendrickson Looseleaf ESV with Binder

It's been awhile now since my wife turned me on to the IKEA Hacker blog -- dedicated to adapting products from the Scandinavian flat-pack furniture giant for all sorts of unintended uses. Although I'm about as unhandy as they come, the idea intrigues me. There's a similar hacking spirit in segments of the Bible-reading community, as well. We want to switch out bindings, interleave additional pages, add extra ribbons, notepaper, and other goodies, adapting the Good Book for optimum use. 

A question that often comes up is, what's the ideal starting point? If you're going to have a Bible rebound, for example, you want to start with a sewn text block. You want good paper and so on. From the hacking standpoint -- particularly if, like me, you don't know your way around a toolbox -- the ultimate is probably something like this, Hendrickson's new looseleaf ESV:

Above: The Hendrickson looseleaf ESV in binder.

This is an 8.5 x 11 inch looseleaf wide margin edition of the Bible pre-punched for five-ring and three-ring binders. You want a "blank Bible" with note pages interleaved? No problem. Buy some copy paper, punch some holes, and start inserting. Since the paper size is standard, you can type up your own notes and print them out, too, sticking them in the appropriate section. If you're a minister or teacher, outlines are easy to insert and remove as needed. What could be easier?

Above: Opened to the title page.

Hendrickson has made a specialty of looseleaf editions. I picked up the ESV since that's the version I use in writing, as well as the one we read from in church, but there are others, too: the NIV Study Bible, the Greek New Testament, the NASB, the NKJV, the KJV, the NIV, and the NRSV New Oxford Annotated Bible. Other publishers have put out their own editions, so hunt around and see what's out there. The odds are, you can find one to suit your needs.

The ESV uses the familiar two column layout. The text size isn't disclosed, but I'm guessing it's in the 10-11 pt. region, large and comfortable compared to most. The inside margin -- the one with the holes punched -- is just a shade under 1.5 inches wide, and the outer margin is just a shade under 1.75 inches. On top, almost 1.5, and at bottom almost one inch. Since each page can be removed, the entire margin is available for notes. No real estate goes to waste. Like I said, what could be easier?

Above: The inside layout will be familiar to ESV readers, 

a generously sized version of the two-column format. It's not the 

Classic Reference text setting, though it has the same features. 

Presumably it is one of the existing Crossway layouts. Any guesses?

Above: A close-up.

A Geneva Bible & A Looseleaf KJV

I've been quiet lately, which is what happens when you have publishing deadlines and are about to leave for two months on the road (teaching at Worldview Academy). My apologies, and rest assured that I'll be back with a vengeance as soon as I have more reviews to post. In the meantime, I've decided to raise a little money to help support the site by auctioning a couple of items. 

Remember the looseleaf Cambridge Concord wide margin KJV I wrote about awhile back? And the facsimile Geneva Bible bound in 7 oz. cowhide? If you're in the market for either, here's your chance to pick up a rare edition and help Bible Design Blog at the same time. 

Geneva Bible Rembrandt Leather Facsimile Edition [eBay link] [review]

Cambridge Looseleaf Wide Margin KJV Bible with Binder [eBay Link] [review]

I may thin the shelves a little more before I leave for the summer. If so, I'll let you know. In the meantime, thanks for reading!

My Interview with Duc N. Ly

My Flickr photostream recently caught the attention of Duc N. Ly, who asked me to comment on the origin of Bible Design Blog and on my interest in leather goods generally. If you'd like to read the brief interview, follow the link: J. Mark Bertrand. Here's an excerpt:

I expected some interest, but nothing like what ended up happening. Turns out there are a lot more people fascinated by Bible design and binding than I ever realized, and quite a few of them visit the site regularly, contributing to the “community” feel. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I’ve certainly learned a lot!

If you want to take a look at the photostream, you'll find it here. But I warn you in advance, it's just an endless iteration of leather objects for the most part.

Poor Man's Geneva Bible - Rebound by Leonard's Book Restoration

A few months back, I received an e-mail from California Dave asking some questions about the Geneva Bible. He was on a quest, and the end result is a magnificently rebound facsimile edition. The starting point was a Hendrikson's reprint of the 1560 edition, which went to Leonard's Book Restoration for star treatment. The results are pretty stunning. So let's let Dave tell the story -- accompanied by photos. There's even a contribution from Eric Haley, who did the work at Leonard's, explaining the process. Dave's text is in red, and Eric in blue. Enjoy!

Short and Stout: Ideal Form Factor for Single Column Settings?

Certain ratios just seem to work. No doubt there's a mathematic expression of the principle, a variation of some kind on the golden mean, but numbers were never my strong point. All I know is, when it comes to books, some proportions just feel right. While there's no single ideal, if you ask me, we can identify combinations of height, width, and thickness that function beautifully. 

Large thinline Bibles are a good example. If it's wide enough and thin enough, something magical seems to happen. Opening it up, turning the pages, letting it hang limp from your hand, there's a mild aesthetic joy in the nuances of handling. 

Above: The Oxford combined NRSV with Apocrypha and 1979 Book of Common Prayer (top) may not look sleek and elegant in comparison to the ESV portfolio thinline (below), but believe me, the proportions work.

And I would argue the same thing is true with the small, fat Bible, too. While it may not look elegant in comparison to its sleek companion, trust me, it's wonderful. A thick Bible does what a slender one can't: it fills the hand. Now if that thick Bible is also tall and wide, the mammoth-like result, while impressive to the eye, won't be nearly so pleasing in the hand. It's the added thickness in the small package that makes the difference.

Tyndale Select NLT in Mahogany Calfskin

Thin is in, which is a good thing. And a bad thing. First, let's get the negatives out of the way. Because we like thinline Bibles so much, I think publishers may be a bit reluctant to come out with an edition that's too thick, for fear that we'll reject it. As a result, certain design virtues -- like prioritizing the page spread over the book -- can be squeezed out. Since the ideal single column setting I'm always stumping for requires larger print, it'll be thicker than its two-columned cousin. So the last thing I want to do is set an artificial width limit. 

 

Above: The Tyndale Select NLT in Mahogany Calfskin. When it comes to slouching, it's no slouch.

Not to mention, with so many people growing concerned about inordinately translucent paper and its impact on reading, I want to be circumspect is cheering for slimlines, since one way to cut the fat is with gossamer-fine pages.