Q & A: Pocket NT Recommendations

Q. I am in need of a New Testament w/Psalms to carry in my back pocket so that I always have God's word.  Is there a goatskin NT/Psalms that you would recommend. I have looked on your site and I'm quite sure you have already remarked on one but I am unable to find it.

A. I wrote about Pocket New Testaments in October 2007, and while that wasn't an exhaustive inventory of everything out there, I think it's still representative. Like psalters, New Testaments have been strangely neglected in recent years. The best NT layout -- indeed, one of the best Scripture layouts of all time -- is the REB New Testament from Cambridge. Unfortunately it's only available now with the green flex cover. I like the single column NRSV NT from Cambridge, too.

If the ESV is your translation of choice (as it is for the original questioner), there's just the one option, the Crossway NT in genuine leather. It's nice and compact, and at least the psalms are set in a single column.

There are no goatskin-bound NTs on the market as far as I know, and I'm not sure whether Cambridge is still offering its calfskin ones. It's a shame, since of all editions, a Pocket NT needs to be well-constructed and durable.

Readers, if you have any cherished NTs, or know of any high quality editions I'm overlooking, let me know. Likewise, if you're frustrated by the lack of choices, I'd like to hear about that, too. Perhaps there's not much demand -- but if there is, let's talk!

Comments

[JT Robinson]

If possible, I would love for RL Allan to make a highland goatskin ESV New Testament (with Pslams and Proverbs) in Red with a blue ribbon, black with a red ribbon and brown with a matching ribbon. I would be willing to pay upwards of $75 for it and would preorder it as soon as Nicholas would let me. Thanks for starting the discussion!

[ElShaddai Edwards]

My one and only NT edition is the aforementioned REB - outstanding! It lives in my backpack along with my Kindle, which has other translations (and OT texts). Perfect for reading/study on the bus.

[Stan]

The REB is truly an incredible edition. A little large for a pocket but it has the best layout of any Bible I own. The Cambridge NIV New Testament in calfskin is pretty nice. I gave my only copy to one of my nieces and she loves it.

[Andy Chulka]

I have long wanted a quality NKJV NT w/ Psalms. The closest thing I have is a KJV NT w/ Psalms from Thomas Nelson. It's a sewn binding in genuine leather. I would love to have that in the NKJV!

[Ryan]

I cannot seem to find the older NRSV NT. All I find when i search is the new anglicized edition that is yet to be released. Does anyone have isbn's on the older NRSVs?

[Jay Davis]

Thomas Nelson did a nice NRSV NT w/Psalms - bonded leather, with Cokesbury 1989

[Alan Carr]

Here is a great source for King James version Bibles, including an excellent NT bound in a soft, flexible Morocco leather. http://lcbplansing.org/Bibles/ By the way, their prices cannot be beat. I have several of their editions and am mostly pleased with them all. Be sure to look at the new Notetaker's Edition.

[Matthew]

Here's my review of the Crossway ESV NT plus Psalms and Proverbs:

http://thefoolishgalatian.wordpress.com/2008/06/26/esv-pocket-new-testament-psalms-proverbs-review/

Great idea posting these questions Mark...it opens up a much broader view!

[Jerry]

The Leather ESV from Crossway gets more supple with use. Mine rides in my shirt pocket, and the combination of heat, sweat, and handling have made the cover much softer and pliant than it was when i first received it. It is almost to where I want it to be.

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1234661260]

I am very happy to know that others wish that there were Cambridge NT/Psalms in high-quality leather; I was fortunate to have bought one many years ago--Cambridge baby blue leather KJV--it is my stand-by always. I want to get a black one to give as a gift, and there is no such thing any more. I checked the Cambridge site, and they have the nerve to display a photo of just that, with the words, "out of print". Why did they do that? Please add my request with the others. Thanks!

[Chuck Bridgeland]

For a pocket New Testament, what's wrong with a plain old Gideon's New Testament w/ Psalms and Proverbs?

No, it's not "heirloom quality" but nothing carried in a back pocket is going to survive to be an heirloom. The new ones are NKJV, old ones KJV or sometimes Berkley Version. Those I see are sewn, and quite readable for their size.

[Ryan]

Chuck
I used to love my gideon NT. That was the first bible I ever enjoyed reading!

[Cristian Franco]

I believe that Cambridge UK is still selling NIV NT made from calfskin. Just check out its site: www.cambridge.org/bibles

[Matt Williams]

This probably won't be popular here...but my favorite pocket Bible is the Confraternity (1941) Revision of the Challoner-Rheims New Testament put out by Scepter Publishers. It comes in soft vinyl or hardcover and easy to read print with several blank pages in the back for note taking. It is 3x5" and sturdy as heck. I even dropped it into the sink one day and it is still in use in my back pocket almost every day.

BTW, I love reading this blog and recently used it to find a book bindery (McSpadden) to bind my Liber Usualis. They did a fantastic job and I have a Bible and Breviary to be bound next.

[Daniel]

Since you mentioned the psalters post (which was great), I thought I'd chip in that Crown & Covenant Publishing of Pittsburgh has just come out with the RPCNA's new Book of Psalms for Worship. All modern language, but still the 150 canonical psalms in metre.

And ... more interesting to TruTone and similar faux leather fans (like me), they plan a half-sized version to be bound in soft faux leather and marketed to individuals rather than churches. As a psalm singer I'm excited: it's not much fun to haul a hardback psalm book the size of a large hymnal around!

I suggested that they also offer a well-bound full-grain leather version. Their response was that this was prohibitively expensive (i.e. $100 retail price). Anyone know a high-quality leather bookbinding firm that could handle an order in the hundreds?

[Steve Taylor]

I'm continually amazed at the quality of Foundation Publications (NASB only) inexpensive Bibles. I picked up a Gift and Award Updated 1995 NASB, paid $8.50. The overall quality and the quality of the spine is far better than my Reader's Edition NKJV. If that NJKV's spine was as good as that Award Bible, I wouldn't have switched to the NASB. Now, the print is a little bit small, but that Bible looks like it's going to last years. I also have a NT/Psalms/Proverbs built the same way, and it shows no signs of wear after a year or two of use. Paid $6.50 for that copy.

Right now, I'm using the Ryrie NASB Study Bible, Genuine Leather, sewn spine from Moody Publishers as my main Bible.

[Nick M]

"Readers, if you have any cherished NTs, or know of any high quality editions I'm overlooking, let me know." -- J. Mark Bertrand

Dear Mark:

Let me just start off by saying that I've enjoyed reading your bible binding blog for quite awhile, but haven't really gotten up the courage to post anything until now. Suffice it to say, you do an absolutely superlative job on every product that you review, and I look forward to reading your impressions of any bible binding project that comes your way.

Anyway, to get to the point of my post, I think I have a cherished NT that you both know about AND have overlooked at the same time; it is a "limited edition" of the very REB Compact NT -- from Cambridge University Press -- that you have already given your highest commendations to in the main body of your article. You, however, can be forgiven for not knowing much about this edition, as I've yet to find any information on this book whatsoever, even after doing my own intensive internet searching. It is an edition of the REB Compact NT bound in deep burgundy goatskin leather -- both inside and out -- that also features art-gilt edging.

So as to have a visual reference to precisely what it is that I'm referring to, I have posted a copy of the photo which was sent to me, by way of the bookshop from where this book was ultimately acquired, on the photo hosting site Flickr (it is the only photo of the book that I currently have): Click Here To See Photo.

But before I go on, let me just say that it was the very reading of your blog that lead me to this rather unusual edition of the REB Compact NT in the first place. About a year ago (around September, 2008) I read the article that you wrote back in October of 2007 titled "Pocket New Testaments". It was in that article that I first heard about the REB translation in a compact NT form, and it was also in that article where I first heard about the "red calfskin" version of this NT that you described as being "luxuriantly flexible." As I, too, have a fondness for soft and flexible leather bound bibles, I felt compelled to seek out one of these more supple red leather versions as well.

So I embarked on a sort of "mini-quest" to locate one of these "red" NT bibles, hoping that it would be a fairly easy acquisition. Unfortunately, finding this particular red leather version proved not to be so easy, but, along the way, I happened to stumble into finding this most peculiar edition of the REB Compact NT as a serendipity. It was sold to me by way of a bookshop in Cambridge, U.K., and also came packaged with a copy of "The Cambridge Bible Handbook" (viewable in the photo above). As already mentioned, it is bound in "deep burgundy goatskin leather" and features a high quality India paper text block with art-gilt (i.e., "red under gold") edging. Furthermore, on the page reserved for the copyright annotation, a dedication announcement can be found which reads as follows: "This limited edition of The Revised English Bible New Testament has been produced in Cambridge to mark the opening of the University Printing House extension on 27 September 1996." (This announcement appears in place of the copyright annotation found in the 'standard edition' which reads "This edition first published 1996.")

To read a little more about this edition, I've posted some of the information that I've been able to glean from direct examination of the volume, along with some Ebay sourced images of the non-limited edition version of this bible as well, on the same Flickr photo hosting site: Click Here To Read Information And See Photos.

My problem is this: Other than what I have just describe in my post -- both here, and on Flickr -- I know almost absolutely nothing else about this edition of the REB Compact NT. In particular, I don't know how many copies were ever produced, or even the exact conditions of its release. For example, was this edition ever made available for purchase outside of the U.K., or was it simply a "City of Cambridge" only release? For that matter, was it even made available for purchase at all, or was it strictly a commemorative edition -- perhaps distributed at some sort of dedication ceremony -- to honor the opening of the "University Printing House Extension?" As already mentioned, I've searched the internet extensively for information about this book, but to no avail. I even thought of directly contacting Cambridge University Press itself, to plead for any information that they might have available about this volume, but, to be quite honest, I really don't know who at CUP I should ask for who would be knowledgeable in such matters.

So I plead to you, dear Mark, and all the good readers of your blog, for any and all assistance in clearing up the mystery that shrouds the release of this particular bible. Any help offered directly by you, or any of your dear readers, would be greatly appreciated! And I further apologize to you, and all your readers, for this rather lengthy initial post.

Very Cordially,
Nick M.

[Bill]

Nick, was there an ISBN number associated with that to make googling a little easier?

[Nick M]

Hi Bill,

And Thanks for your interest. The limited edition book that I have on hand doesn't have an ISBN number listed anywhere on its pages; a fact which is also true of the standard edition as well. However, the ISBN's for the standard edition -- known at Cambridge University Press as the REBNT7 -- are as follows:

ISBN-10: 0521509475
ISBN-13: 9780521509473

The bookshop in the city of Cambridge, from where this book was acquired, listed the title on Abebooks with the following information:

Author: Baker Publishing Group Staff
Title: REB Compact New Testament : Red Calfskin Leather REBNT7
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Description:
The popular REB Bible translation comes in a new single-column setting,
bound in exquisite top-grain calfskin, presented in a Cambridge slipcase
featuring King's College Chapel. Included is 'The Cambridge Bible
Handbook'.

Hope This Helps,
Nick

[Bill]

Thanks, Nick. You're way ahead of me. Looks like ABE doesn't have any more.
So there was no ISBN on the box either for that super-special model you got?

I recently bought a used copy of the NEB NT in paperback that Mark has spoken favorably of. It arrived in pristine shape but the binding was all dried out and brittle. It was in tatters within a week. I'm awaiting a blue hardback of the same volume which will hopefully be sewn.

[Nick M]

Hi Bill,

There was absolutely no sticker on the outer box whatsoever. Usually the slipcase will have a UPC sticker placed in the lower right hand corner of the slipcase's reverse side -- this sticker, of course, would also contain the ISBN number as well. A UPC sticker may have been, at one time, affixed to whatever outer shrinkwrap (or encasement) that was originally placed around the two volumes (both the REB NT and the "Handbook"), but that shrinkwrap (or encasement) was discarded long before my purchase of the two books -- I bought both books "used," but in "like new" condition, off of Abe's.

Sorry to hear about the self demolition of the NEB NT paperback that you recently acquired. Hopefully the blue hardback version will prove to be far more durable.

--Nick

[Bill]

Nick, thanks for all the help. I'd say that special NT of yours is ultra-special. Enjoy!

Yes, I just received the blue hardback NEB and love it. It's sewn (I can see the holes) but I haven't yet determined if it's truly Smyth sewn yet. I'm breaking it in gradually.

I've added it to my single-column NIV NT and (original) Beck's NT. All 3 are 8vo (6x9) paragraph-format, text-only (no refs) and a shade over an inch thick with near-zero ghosting/bleed-through. Easily held for long periods of comfortable reading. But they're only 1/4 of the entire Bible. Too bad there's not a market for a multi-volume Bible. I wouldn't mind having 3 volumes of the OT in the same format.

[Keith]

Hello,
I am also discouraged with finding a pocket NT. I purchased a Nelson vest pocket New Testament. It has nice paper, is tiny and thin, (4 5/8 x 3 x 1/2), and KJV. However, after a week in my front pocket, the binding started coming apart from the paper. I glued it up, but I do not know how long it will last. Its not sewn.
I wonder if you could take a Gideon type NT and have it rebound? They are not as thin though. There are a couple companies producing these.
Keith

[bill]

Keith,
I think you'll like this one:
http://danndivine.com/reb-new-testament-compact-dark-red-calfskin-leather-rebnt7-0521509475.html

[John]

Bill, have you purchased bibles from that website before? I had never heard of them until this week.

[bill]

John, that's a good point. I'm NOT endorsing that vendor; I've never done business with them. The fact they have so many of these out-of-print titles still in stock could possibly be interpreted as a warning sign, or possibly just a sign of not discounting enough! Their "About Our Company" page claims some affiliation with CBD, a featured source here (and with whom I've done repeated business) so one could possibly get more information about them from CBD or at least see if they've heard of them. They list a Bronx address and phone so a BBB search could turn up something. GoogleMaps StreetView shows what looks like a residential apartment house at their Tiebout address, so this isn't a large brick and mortar outlet. I note they also do business as "senegy.com"--perhaps someone here has done business with THEM? They also have a "Partners" page where they invite others to list their stock, so this could be a listing service of local religious bookstores, some of which could have old stock on hand. Just guessing.

[John]

Bill, I was just curious. I searched their site a bit and found some interesting bibles that not even Amazon has.

[quenton howell]

Can u have one restitched n rebound if u have one that u have had for a while?

[Bob]

I have an extra REB Compact New Testament : Red Calfskin Leather REBNT7 to sell on Ebay...trying to find out if there is a market...it is New...unused...no markings...the dark burgandy color.

[bill]

Bob, that NT has a huge fanbase.

[Michial]

I'll take a different angle. I suggest buying an iPod touch and downloading the esv study bible app. It's brilliant and can do loads more than a NT with psalms and proverbs can.

[Bob]

Thanks Bill...I am putting an REB testament for sale on ebay tonight...will run for a week.

[bill]

Thanks Bob. I see the listing...I like the larger ones you're offering too. But the ISBN for the Large Print one doesn't seem right...052509580? Missing a digit methinks. Were these others REBs or KJVs or ???