"My poor eyes can't take the strain!" This lament reaches my inbox every couple of days, aimed at the increasing difficulty aging readers experience with the tiny print inside their Bibles. In a context where 12 pt. type is considered large print, this is not surprising. Sadly, there isn't a miraculous ultra-thin, super-large-print compact Bible on the market that nobody's told you about.
Victorinox, however, the makers of the iconic Swiss Army Knife, have a solution:
If you are straining your eyes to figure out what's in the picture above, it's a magnifying glass. This model knife is called an Explorer Plus. (The Plus means there's an extra screwdriver, a pin, and a ballpoint concealed within the handle.) I'm not sure which styles of SAK come with the magnifying glass, but if you struggle with the small print, you might consider finding out.
I'm serious.
Antiquarians and consulting detectives throughout the ages have availed themselves of a magnifying glass in order to read fine print (and discover clues). The principal is similar to that employed by the cheap "reading glasses" they sell at the drug store: a little lens magnifies the size of what you're looking at, making it easier to see. The problem with the glasses is they slip to the tip of your nose and make people think you're a judgmental librarian type. With the Swiss Army Knife, they assume you were going for the scissors and pulled the wrong lever.
I wouldn't exactly call the level of magnifcation provided by the SAK "robust." Laying on the page, it just about doubles the size of what's beneath, which is not too shabby. Examining the photo below, you'll notice that the word "hear" in the magnifier is a lot easier to read than the word "hide" in the next verse. Wave one of these in front of the R. L. Allan Compact Text ESV and that 6.5 pt. type expands to, like, 11. If you hold it back a bit, you're in large print territory.
Whenever the Levenger catalog arrives in my mailbox, I always flip through to make sure the Franklin Library Stand Desk is still there. One day, I hope to have one of these -- or a vintage equivalent -- in my office, with a nice big lectern Bible on top:
See the little globe poking up above the book? That's a magnifier. It comes with the desk, which is a thoughtful touch. Here's another image, illustrating the domed magnifier a little better:
The idea is that, as you're reading, you place the dome on top of the page and it makes the words freakishly large. If you carried one of these things in the wild, you'd be mistaken for a fortune teller -- not to mention the risk of starting unintentional fires. But in the comfort and privacy of your reading abode, using such an aid is perfectly acceptable.
For reading out and about, I recommend the Swiss Army Knife.
"After reading you for about a month and looking at your photos," wrote a reader named Kate earlier this week, "I've concluded ... You are simply a leather freak. You love leather. Period." Guilty as charged. While I wouldn't say I only love leather, there's no question that it's near the top of my list. If we judge love based on action and not mere sentiment, however, there is one man whose love I can't compete with in any way, shape, or form.
Vincent Ramirez has gone where no man has gone before, and he's taken his Cambridge Pitt Minion with him. Where? To world-famous Horween Leather in Chicago, perhaps the most exalted name in the tanning business. Horween has provided leather for top-drawer shoes, bags, and even footballs. But as far as I know, they've never provided the leather for a Bible binding.
Now they have.
And it's not just any leather, either. Vincent's Pitt Minion was rebound by Mechling Books using Horween's coveted #8 shell cordovan. For a certain type of leather lover, shell cordovan is the holy grail of hides. It comes from the "fibrous flat muscle (or shell) beneath the hide on the rump of the horse" (thanks, Wikipedia!) and "is prized for its toughness, longevity, and protective qualities." The way I've always heard it explained, shell's dense, smooth grain makes it very hard-wearing. Thanks to the way it takes dye -- somewhat unevenly -- you see fascinating color variation in shell cordovan as it ages.
Write what you know. My professors tried to drill that dictum into my head, and while I haven't always abided by it, here at Bible Design Blog I try. Ordinarily I don't write about editions I haven't seen for myself. I've learned from hard experience not to hype things before they're printed, because they don't always measure up. And I've learned not to praise an edition based on the photos alone. If I can't get a review copy and I'm not willing to spring for it myself, I try to keep my mouth shut.
More or less. There are exceptions to every rule, and I'm about to make one. I recently enrolled in a class on letterpress printing, and in honor of that anachronistic fact, let's talk about what has to be one of the most magnificently quixotic Bibles in existence, the Arion Press Lectern Folio Bible.
I have never seen one in person, though I have seen the prospectus. Given the fact that the unbound pages alone cost over $7,000, I certainly don't own one. In the spirit of cheekiness, I suppose I could shoot them an e-mail and see if they'd send one for review, but I just don't have the nerve. So I don't have any good photos to share, but thanks to CBS Sunday Morning, here's some video:
As the self-described "King James man" in the video says, this will probably be the last Bible ever printed from lead type, a book-end at one end of a period in history that began with Gutenburg in the fifteenth century. For those of you who dislike the tiny font in most Bibles, this one is set in 16 pt. Romulus type. (Even the notes are large print by Bible standards at 11 pt.) Worried about ghosting? Don't be. This book is printed on "Somerset, a mouldmade paper of 100% cotton fiber."
In the second video, Andrew Hoyem gives some insight (starting at about 5 min 30 sec) into the challenges of the design process:
Letterpress is to today's digital printing what vinyl is to digital music. Some people will never notice the difference, and for them the laborious process of creation and the resulting expense make no sense at all. But if you can see the difference, it's hard not to be in awe of what Arion Press has done. This is printing as art -- an "exacting and repetitious" art. The remarkable thing is to realize that until quite recently, this is how books were made.
While there's been a recent revival of interest in letterpress printing, the emphasis tends to be more on small jobs like wedding invitations or greeting cards. The new movement seems very much in the spirit of John Ryder's classic Printing for Pleasure, which advises right at the outset that you not get bogged down in attempting to print books. It's simply too much work! Even so, Ryder goes onto concede there might be pleasure in such work, giving a description I imagine the artisans at Arion Press could relate to:
"The slow business of building up words and lines and pages can become tiresome but on the other hand the very fact of knowing exactly where you are going and that the going is steady and long-lasting may very well appeal. Here is something absorbing, creative, perhaps soothing, that will occupy hand and mind for a long time. Growth of the work will be slow but the finished product, provided that a text worthy of the labour has been chosen, may well be rewarding."
Only 400 copies of the Lectern Folio Bible have been printed, and after ten years there are still some available. Depending on the options you choose, the price runs anywhere from $7,000-$11,000. I've always wanted a proper lectern Bible for my office (and a lectern to put it on), but if I were to splash out for one of this quality, the odds of my living to enjoy it would be slim. Even so, the thought that there are people who would undertake such a task and that there are others who will enjoy it makes me very happy indeed. If any of you have seen one of these in person, I would love to hear about it.
If purple isn't your color, they also offer this edition in Black Jewel, Smooth Ivory, and Candy Pink. Each edition will set you back just £89.00. But maybe this is a little tame. If your significant other gives you grief about your Bible-acquiring problem, why not implicate her in the excess with the orange Hip Chick Bible from Rock of Ages Press?
These come complete with groovy end papers and four ribbon markers. Blue, white, and pink are also available. Each will set you back $198.
If you're really feeling generous, Smythson now offers its KJV in Brown Mara calfskin, another croc-print, for $300. And while you're at it, pick up a matching Floppy Manuscript Book with elasticated closure for another $300.
Have you spotted any other interesting gift Bibles out there? If so, feel free to post them.
The arrival of the new Allan's ESV1 has brought out the lensmen! Next at bat is reader Will Cornell, who recently set up a light box and decided to snap some pictures of his black ESV1 along with a few other editions (like the TruTone ESV Study Bible). He's uploaded an entire library of shots to Picasa, and here's the link:
Our man in Australia, Stuart Mazz, has really outdone himself. When his tan ESV1 from R. L. Allan's arrived, he whipped out his camera and took copious photos. Enjoy!
There are fifteen more pictures below, so click to continue.
Thanks to reader Edward Lyons, who's in Scotland, we have a few more snapshots of the new Allan's ESV1 in black highland goatskin. Some of the details are evident, such as the new gilt line inside the cover and the three (nice and thick) ribbons:
Still waiting for your Allan's ESV1 to arrive in the mail? In the UK, they're already arriving on doorsteps. Geoff Youngs received his -- he ordered the black version -- and has posted a series of unboxing photos on his blog, Frafferz. Looks like the moment he opened it flat, the ESV1 coiled itself into a yoga pose just to show off. It's a beautiful thing.
I warn you, though: if you have work to do and you're already struggling to think of something other than the little bundle of highland goatskin en route to your door, this is not a link you want to click on.
In December 1955, Life magazine devoted a special issue to Christianity. It included an advertisement for Oxford Bibles, which I've reproduced below. The headline reads: "Since 1675 ... in Bibles one name has signified the finest craftsmanship, the highest quality, the extra care that distinguishes the best. Oxford. America's Gift Bible. Since 1675."
Three editions of the KJV are highlighted. First, there's the 01467x Morocco, Ultrathin Oxford India Paper, 4 1/4 x 6 3/8 x 7/8", with a choice of five colors, retailing for $13.00. Black is shown. The more upscale 01530x hardback is bound in Polished Morocco with Ultrathin Oxford India Paper and measures 5 x 7 1/4 x 3/4", available in three colors for $16.50. The edition illustrated in the ad seems to be brown with gilt details. Finally, there's the 01558x Persian with Ultrathin Oxford India Paper, measuring 5 1/2 x 7 1/4 x 1 1/8", with two ribbons. This one is also available in three colors -- the one in the ad seems to be red.
At the bottom of the ad: "More than 200 styles priced from $2.15 to $265.00." Intrigued? I am.
One of the reasons I was so excited about the KJV Pitt Minion in brown goatskin was that it would match, more or less, my enlarged edition of the Book of Common Prayer, also in brown goat (albeit not as high a quality). I shared photos of the Pitt Minion earlier, but forget to take any of the KJV/BCP combo. So here they are:
Welcome to BibleDesignBlog.com, a site devoted to innovative design and quality Bible binding. Read the reviews, explore the extensive comments, and feel free to join in. The links in the righthand column give you access to all the reviews, every category (including rebinding projects and "eye candy"), and links to other sites that might interest you.
J. Mark Bertrand is the author of Back on Murder, Pattern of Wounds, and the forthcoming Nothing to Hide, crime novels featuring Houston homicide detective Roland March. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston and lived in the city for fifteen years. After one hurricane too many, he and his wife moved to South Dakota. Mark has been arrested for a crime he didn't commit, was the foreman of a hung jury in Houston, and after relocating served on the jury that acquitted Vinnie Jones of assault. In 1972, he won an honorable mention in a child modeling contest, but pursued writing instead.
Books by Bertrand
J. Mark Bertrand: Nothing to Hide The third book in the series takes March into the world of the paranoid conspiracy thriller: a headless corpse, the Mexican cartels, gun runners, and an ex-spook obsessed with Dante.
J. Mark Bertrand: Pattern of Wounds In his second outing, March hunts a vicious killer while trying to keep a decade-old conviction from falling apart. A compulsively readable follow-up that Publisher's Weekly calls "gritty and chilling."
J. Mark Bertrand: Back on Murder My crime novel Back on Murder, the first in a series about Houston homicide detective Roland March, is on bookshelves now.
The Swiss Army's Solution to Tiny Type
"My poor eyes can't take the strain!" This lament reaches my inbox every couple of days, aimed at the increasing difficulty aging readers experience with the tiny print inside their Bibles. In a context where 12 pt. type is considered large print, this is not surprising. Sadly, there isn't a miraculous ultra-thin, super-large-print compact Bible on the market that nobody's told you about.
Victorinox, however, the makers of the iconic Swiss Army Knife, have a solution:
If you are straining your eyes to figure out what's in the picture above, it's a magnifying glass. This model knife is called an Explorer Plus. (The Plus means there's an extra screwdriver, a pin, and a ballpoint concealed within the handle.) I'm not sure which styles of SAK come with the magnifying glass, but if you struggle with the small print, you might consider finding out.
I'm serious.
Antiquarians and consulting detectives throughout the ages have availed themselves of a magnifying glass in order to read fine print (and discover clues). The principal is similar to that employed by the cheap "reading glasses" they sell at the drug store: a little lens magnifies the size of what you're looking at, making it easier to see. The problem with the glasses is they slip to the tip of your nose and make people think you're a judgmental librarian type. With the Swiss Army Knife, they assume you were going for the scissors and pulled the wrong lever.
I wouldn't exactly call the level of magnifcation provided by the SAK "robust." Laying on the page, it just about doubles the size of what's beneath, which is not too shabby. Examining the photo below, you'll notice that the word "hear" in the magnifier is a lot easier to read than the word "hide" in the next verse. Wave one of these in front of the R. L. Allan Compact Text ESV and that 6.5 pt. type expands to, like, 11. If you hold it back a bit, you're in large print territory.
Whenever the Levenger catalog arrives in my mailbox, I always flip through to make sure the Franklin Library Stand Desk is still there. One day, I hope to have one of these -- or a vintage equivalent -- in my office, with a nice big lectern Bible on top:
See the little globe poking up above the book? That's a magnifier. It comes with the desk, which is a thoughtful touch. Here's another image, illustrating the domed magnifier a little better:
The idea is that, as you're reading, you place the dome on top of the page and it makes the words freakishly large. If you carried one of these things in the wild, you'd be mistaken for a fortune teller -- not to mention the risk of starting unintentional fires. But in the comfort and privacy of your reading abode, using such an aid is perfectly acceptable.
For reading out and about, I recommend the Swiss Army Knife.
Posted on June 12, 2012 at 03:00 AM in Commentary, Eye Candy | Permalink | Comments (10)
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