Note: Personal Reference ESV with Sewn Binding

Just a note for those of you planning to purchase one of the new Personal Reference ESVs and then have it rebound. The genuine leather edition is the only one that features a sewn binding -- the TruTone editions have adhesive bindings. So the edition you want to start with for rebinding purposes is probably the genuine leather one.

UPDATE: Matt Morales spoke with someone at Crossway today who said that the Personal Reference edition would also feature better quality paper than previous editions. Presumably that means it will be more opaque. We should find out soon enough.

Comments

[PDS]

Haven't we discussed the fact that you can rebind a glued binding?

[J. Mark Bertrand]

It's possible to have a glued binding sewn, but I think you're better off starting with a sewn binding. That way you know the signatures are intact and ready to go. On top of that, paper sometimes varies from one edition to another, with genuine leather editions featuring better quality than the cheaper ones. (I don't know if that's the case with the Personal Reference, though.)

In photography, you can get the shot with the camera, or you can try to fix it in postproduction. I think the same is true with rebinding. You're going to invest a lot of money in the project, so it's better to start with as good a specimen as you can.

[matt blair]

Hey Mark...

Any ideas if you will be getting a personal edition for yourself before the official launch date? I would love to hear your review.

[chad]

this seems like a great bible to invest in and keep in a bag or briefcase.

[Sam]

Was anyone else disappointed by the layout in the Personal Reference? Why are there all those lines everywhere, and why are the subheadings bold italic?

To late for them to change it in response to comments I guess, but its a shame, because this is pretty close to what I'm after.

[Greg Terry]

I think this sounds like a nearly perfect edition of a smaller size Bible. Normally, I am cautious about such a small Bible (I've done passed that half century mark). But this one had me really intrigued and waiting to purchase one as soon as possible. I agree with Mark that one of these in a fine Cordovan or an Allan binding would be awesome!

[J. Mark Bertrand]

Matt -- I'm in line like everyone else on this one, but the moment I have the thing in hand, I'll let everybody know.

[J. Mark Bertrand]

Sam -- I think I noted somewhere that I was dismayed by all the lines. I'm hoping that in the finished product they won't be as noticeable as they were in the preview PDF.

[matt]

I kinda like the border lines in the new Personal ESV, although I agree that it would be nice if it was a little toned down from the PDF and possibly just separating the cross-references. But it reminds me of how I like the dashed lines in the Allan's NRSV and in the Allan's NIV.

I also like how the cross references are in the gutter with the Personal ed. instead of the text.

[Rusty]

Mark,
For those of us who are not necessarily planning to have our Personal Reference Bibles re-bound, would you recommend the Genuine Leather over the TruTone Black? What advantages does the TruTone edition have over the Genuine Leather edition?

[Steve]

I guess if you weren't looking to make this your primary reading Bible, then the TruTone would be a good option. I have a Compact TruTone, and I have to say that for a synthetic cover, it looks and wears pretty well, and feels very nice to boot. If you're gonna go leather, wait it out for Allan's to offer an edition like this.

[Jesus Saenz]

The TruTone will be softer than the genuine leather, but ultimately the genuine leather will be a better choice because it is sewn. The leather will soften with age but the sewn binding will always be a better choice than a glued one.

[Samson]

I saw this today at a Crossway Table at a conference we're having at our church and it looks pretty neat. It did bring up a questions though... How can one tell if it's sewn or glued? I used to think it was the alternating color strip of fabric on the inside bottom and top of the spine but that's probably wrong cause the trutone version had the strip also. I tried to look in the pages but I couldn't be sure.

[kyle]

Ordered mine today. Amazon has the genuine leather for $29.96. You get an extra 5% off since it is a pre-order bringing the price under $29.00. Not bad with no tax and no shipping charges. Of course, the confirmation says the estimated delivery date is May 1.