Another Blank Bible Project

I can't count the number of e-mails I get asking about how to create a "blank Bible." For those of you not yet obsessed with the idea, here's the concept: starting with a printed Bible, you disassemble the pages and interleave blank paper in between for note-taking. This provides far more writing space than even the most generous wide margin edition, and gives you some control over paper quality, too. The downside? You increase the bulk factor considerably (which is why do-it-yourself projects typically end up as multi-volume sets). 

Dan Julian documents the entire process for those of you looking to take the plunge. Thanks to a willing assistant at the local Staples, he makes the whole thing look terribly easy. 

Comments

[bill]

The plastic spiral binding is nice here; much richer than plastic "comb" or metal spiral. I'd consider thinner/better blank pages as well, this appears to use 20# plain copy machine paper. Rounding the two outer edges would really help them wear nicer, but you'd really want to do it before the binding step. Bigger publishers (probably not Staples) might have a radiused cutter, otherwise you can temporarily clamp the individual volumes between boards and disc- or belt-sander the edges round.

If I went with the ESV I'd start with the "Value Thinline" since it's half the price of the normal thinline and I prefer the all black type. But this layout really shines with single-column editions. The Penquin paperback New Cambridge Paragraph KJV comes to mind but the print is probably too small for me to read at writing-desk-distances. One of the Giant-print NIVs (as in Mark's November 19 post) would be a good candidate in that regard, if the gutter margins were big enough. You can find a few of these at $1 each library booksale prices too.

I'm intrigued by the idea of doing just Psalms/Isaiah/NT in a single volume, and discarding the rest of the OT. Or possibly just the Gospels, and use it for 3 years of sermon notes from the lectionary. Even if preaching from the OT or epistle text, it would still be logical to post the notes with the gospel text for the day. And that could be done in a <1" volume, even with a giant print text and normal copy paper. Sure beats scribbling all over church bulletins.

Then again if we're only talking the gospels, one could skip slicing up the commercial bible product completely and just print out Matthew from an e-text file onto normal single-sided paper and bind on the right edge (even a half-inch 3-ring binder could work) so you take notes on the right-hand side which is the back side of the successive page. Repeat for years B & C. What am I waiting for? We're two months into Year A already!

[Jonathan Ammon]

This is a phenomenal guide at a phenomenal price. It has convinced me: I'm not sure when, but I will be creating one eventually.

[Chris Bloom]

Bill, my on-again-off-again homemade ESV project is set up to be right-hand bound, as it seems to make a lot more sense for this righty to have all the blank space on the side with my scrawlin' hand. I may not finish it in my lifetime -- and if I do, it'll likely cost me about $1000 in print cartridges. ;)

[Daniel]

The other downside is the effort used in writing notes onto a temporary medium that is difficult to "backup". (Yes, I suppose that I could photocopy the notes I write). Currently I have copied the entire Bible onto my hard drive in Word format and and writing my notes there. Then I regularly back them up on to various other computers and keep them stored on Google Docs as well. I could potentially print them out and insert them as above. But at least I have a backup.

[Williams]

I had an idea on how to add a limited number of pages to the back of the Bible. Just fold some sheets and sew up a thin signiture. Then get some strong thread and fish it through spine gap, and put the signiture in the back of the Bible and sew it in the best you can near the ends of the spine to the inside cover liner

[kurt h.]

i had a momentary lurch when i read the words "throw out the rest of the OT" -- i hope i know what you meant to say, but there's gold in them thar hills!

now back to your regularly scheduled programming....