Bible Design and Binding

A Preview of the new R. L. Allan Journals

The original Allan's Journal was a beauty, then there was a larger second edition, and now the latest versions are available in two sizes. The larger format comes with either a black or brown buffalo grain goatskin cover, the same as the ESV3, while the smaller format is available in black, tan, and brown highland goatskin, like the ESV1. I'm expecting some copies any day now, at which point I'll post more thoughts (and more photos), but here are some advance snaps from R. L. Allan.

First the large format brown journal:

 

And here's a look inside the larger format:

 

Now the smaller format. First black:

 

Then brown:

And now the tan:

 

And here's how the smaller ones look inside:

For those of you who've been anxiously awaiting the journals, it looks like the wait is over. There was some speculation about whether the "Journal" imprint would be dropped from the cover, but based on the photos it seems the answer is no. I'll write more when they arrive, but for now ... enjoy.

The Case Against Verse-By-Verse

Back in the day, if you'd been writing, say, the book of Hebrews, and you came to a particular point in the argument where an Old Testament quotation would really do the trick, the result would have looked something like this:

So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you"; as he says also in another place, "You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek."

Try that now and you'll get into trouble. While teaching a few years back, I went through a phase where I self-consciously cited Scripture the way Scripture cites itself. The result? People would come up afterward and says things like, "That was really good, but I would have appreciated more Scripture." But I used lots of it, I'd protest, pointing out the many instances. "Well ... you should cite your references, then."

What they wanted was something like this:

So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him in Psalm 2:7, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you"; as he says also in another place, namely Psalm 110:4, "You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek."

It's absurd, of course, to dock the author of Hebrews for not having given the proper "address" for his quotations, since versification didn't come along until the sixteenth century. Now that it's here, though, most of us think we can't do without it. After all, without verse numbers, how are we supposed to look stuff up?

THE GRINCH WHO STOLE VERSES
Don't worry. I'm not going to try and take your verse numbers away. I think versification, unlike the nineteenth century innovation called red letters, actually serves a worthwhile purpose. But something detrimental came along with it, namely the verse-per-line or verse-by-verse format. This is the format familiar from old school King James text settings, where every verse starts on a fresh line, no matter where the sentences or paragraphs happen to break.

In a taste of things to come, here's a photo of Hendrickson's facsimile edition of Tyndale's 1526 New Testament, printed in cooperation with the British Library. Notice anything interesting?

 

This is the "first English Bible translated from the original languages," and yes, it's a single column, paragraphed edition. No verse numbers, because Stephanus hadn't gotten around to that yet. One step forward, two steps back, as they say. We got verse numbers, which in my opinion is a good thing, but we lost paragraphs, which is tragic.

Become a Fan on Facebook

In addition to the new logo, I've created a Bible Design Blog fan page for those of you on Facebook. There's a link in the right-hand column if you want to become a fan ... or you can click here:

Become a Fan of "Bible Design Blog" on Facebook

You can even start your own topics for discussion, which could be interesting, dangerous, or both!

New Logo for Bible Design Blog

With an assist from my talented wife, I've created a Bible Design Blog logo, which I've incorporated into a new banner for the site. One of my goals is to dress the place up a little. But don't expect a whole lot just yet. The time I can devote to the site will go mainly into writing, as always. When I can, though, I'll introduce an upgrade or two. Meanwhile, here's the logo:

Trying to think of a quintessential image, something that sums up the unique contribution of Bible Design Blog, the best I could come up with is Bible Yoga. So there you go...

Searching for Out of Print Editions?

Are you on the hunt for an out-of-print Bible? If so, you're not alone. If I had a penny for every e-mail I received asking for tips on how to find vintage and out-of-print editions ... well, I'd have a lot of change. Unfortunately, there are no secret methods. Or if there are, no one's revealed them to me. Once a book goes out of print, you're only hope is to find either a bookstore or a private seller who has one and is willing to part with it. 

Online Sources
The two sources I frequently recommend are eBay and AbeBooks.com. Plug your information into these two, and you'll get a snapshot (admittedly incomplete) of who has what at the moment. As books trade hands, this is always changing ... which means if you don't find what you're looking for, check back regularly. 

Publishers
Sometimes you have not because you ask not. Or at least, you ask the wrong person. One of the first sources I'd check with when looking for an out-of-print edition is the publisher. You never know what they have in reserve, and even if they can't hook you up, they might be able to offer more information. It's worth a shot.

Bricks + Mortar
Whenever I travel, I make a point of hitting any independent bookstores on the map. You never know what's been sitting on the shelf for the past ten years, waiting for you to come along. Sadly, bookstores that stock nice Bibles are fairly rare. I've had decent luck at Half Price Books.

You may never find what you're looking for. And if you do, the seller might want more than you're willing to spend. The key is patience. If you keep checking over time, the odds in your favor increase quite a bit. If anyone has tips to share or just stories of fulfilled (or unfulfilled) quests, let's hear about them in the comments.