Bible Design and Binding

Happy Birthday, Bertrand: Single Column Journaling Bible in August

Two things to celebrate in August: my birthday (I'll be 42), and the release by Crossway of a Single Column Journaling Bible. I'm sure the two have nothing to do with each other. Having said that, everybody knows I love the color red, and if you're familiar with my original post about the Journaling Bible, you'll know I had a little input on that as well. If my eyes don't deceive me, this is a red Moleskine-style, Single Column Journaling BIble, best of all possible worlds:

I've been a fan of the red Moleskine since it first appeared (originally unavailable in the US), so you won't be surprised to know that I've just updated my birthday list. As I've pointed out before, single column settings and wide margins go great together. There's no ambiguity about which column of text the notes in the margin go with, because there's only one column. Here's a look inside the forthcoming Single Column Journaling Bible:

You can check out a PDF sample of the interior layout by clicking here. For those of you without my red fixation (or those who live in bull-infested country and worry about the possibility of goring), they will also be available in black hardcover and brown leather. 

I see a lot of Journaling Bibles in the hands of young people, who appreciate the format's styling and practicality. The advent of a single colum edition is particularly thrilling in that regard. Getting good, readable Bibles into the hands of young people (yes, I feel middle-aged every time I type those words) is a priority.

The Case for Color (or "L'heure verte at BDB")

Yesterday I shared my dream of having two single column ESVs, the Legacy and the Clarion, rebound in as hardcovers in matching green leather, which prompted commenter J. Kru to ask after the state of my cranial health:

But... did you say GREEN? A GREEN Bible? Did you hit your head or something? that's crazy talk. Next up: the Mars Hill Study Bible, bound in chain mail.

Now I can dish it out as well as I can take it. In fact, I'd like to think I can take it even better than I can dish it out. Lest rumors of my unhinged mind take hold on the Internet, though, I thought it would be worthwhile to explain my rationale. 

If you've been a reader for any length of time, you know that I don't subscribe to the Henry Ford theory of bookbinding ("any color you want, so long as it's black"). I wouldn't have made a very good Pilgrim, assuming you believe the Pilgrims only wore black apart from their shiny shoe buckles and their big white collars. Give me color any day! Which is why I've waxed rhapsodically in the past about sights like this:

And this:

Of the Making of Books

The revisions on my next Roland March novel are due by the end of the month, which means there's a nice stack of review copies piling up in my office. I'm excited about some of the goodies I'll be sharing with you shortly -- particularly an unbound Oxford KJV wide margin being published by R. L. Allan, printed and bound by Jongbloed. That's it on the top of the stack:

If you've ever wondered what the pieces of a fine Bible look like before they're put together, get ready for an examination of the inner workings of the Good Book. Speaking of inner workings, if you're not following my book arts journey already, now would be a good time to start. While revising, I went a little crazy and decided to print and sew a text block version of the novel. Don't worry ... I will not be putting that gorgeous calf split Bible cover on it! Here's the link for photos: Normal Author, Crazy Author.

Hendrikson to Release Loose-Leaf ESV

With all the talk recently about interleaved Bibles and loose-leaf edition, I somehow missed the fact that Hendrikson -- which offers quite a range of the latter -- is going to release a loose-leaf ESV in May. While they don't look as elegantly produced as the vintage Cambridge KJV I wrote about last August, they have the advantage of measuring 8.5 x 11, which means you can punch holes in regular copy paper and insert notes to your heart's content.

Unfortunately, the photo on the Hendrikson page doesn't appear to be of the actual product. Anybody interested in picking one up? I'm tempted . . .

Cambridge ESV Pitt Minion News

I'm filing this under Future Editions, but the Pitt Minion ESV is a future edition no longer. I received word from Cambridge this morning that the copies bound for the North American market have reached Baker, and orders are going to be filled shortly. That means (1) those of you who've pre-ordered should be receiving them soon, and (2) I can now start talking about them. As I mentioned earlier, I'll be doing a side-by-side review of all four editions -- brown goatskin, black goatskin, burgundy French morocco, and imitation leather. Here's a tiny peek:

If you've already ordered and you're wondering whether you made the right choice between the four . . . you did. I won't give away the gist of the review yet, but let me say this: there are no bad options here. Stayed tuned the the full review this week.

Oxford's ESV with Apocrypha

If three new editions of the ESV wasn't enough, there's now some concrete news on a fourth: the Oxford edition of the ESV with Apocrypha, which is being published in hardback at the end of the year. Thanks to a sharp-eyed reader, my addition was called to the official page:

Oxford University Press: English Standard Version with Apocrypha

Since the publication date is given as December 31, 2008, I'm assuming we won't actually see it until 2009 (around the time Cambridge's wide margin ESV is expected to hit). According to Oxford:

The English Standard Version Bible with the Apocrypha, for which the Apocrypha has been commissioned by Oxford University Press, employs the same methods and guidelines used by the original translators of the ESV, to produce for the first time an ESV Apocrypha. This will be the only ESV with Apocrypha available anywhere, and it includes all of the books and parts of books in the Protestant Apocrypha, the Catholic Old Testament, and the Old Testament as used in Orthodox Christian churches. It will have a lovely pre-printed case binding, and will include a full-color map section, a table of weights and measures used in the Bible, and many other attractive features.

So if your wishlist isn't already straining, here's something else to add. I'm looking forward to seeing the page spread, just in case it proves interesting.

ESV Countdowns

The clock is ticking down on several long-awaited ESV debuts: the new edition of the Allan's ESV1 with updated text, the four Cambridge Pitt Minion ESV options, and the ESV Study Bible. I'm planning to write about each as they arrive at my door. In the meantime, here's what I know about updates.

The Allan's ESV1
Paul at EvangelicalBible.com has been doing a great job posting updates on the ESV1's production process, so check the Allan ESV page there for his latest info. The last update is dated September 15. There's also been some progress talk on an earlier thread at BibleDesignBlog.com. The short answer: It's coming. Be patient. Don't strangle the mailman.

The Cambridge Pitt Minion ESV
We've already gotten a glimpse of these bad boys thanks to David Dewey, and I understand that they're making their way to North America at this very moment. Once they do, I'll be doing a side-by-side of all four editions to help the undecided make up their minds.

The ESV Study Bible
There's a whole lot of info up at ESVStudyBible.org, including twenty videos. And of course the ESV Study Bible blog is rolling out regular goodies. Speaking of which, via the blog, I found Fred Sanders' post "Let Us Now Praise Study Bibles," which enumerates some common objections to SBs (some of which I share) and mentions some things he appreciates about the ESV SB. Good reading.

NLT Study Bible Promo Video

Guess what? There's another introductory video out there. The NLT Study Bible is now available for pre-order, and Friday the team at Tyndale posted a promo video to YouTube. Here it is:

ESV Study Bible Video Introduction

Taking a page from the Apple book, Crossway has created a five-minute introductory video to the ESV Study Bible, hosted by Tullian Tchividjian. Take a look:

The Allan's ESV: Delivery Update

The course of true love never did run smooth, and love of the new edition of the Allan's ESV is no exception. As some of you have already pointed out in comments to various threads, the arrival date of the Scottish-born uber-ESV has been pushed back by several weeks.

In an e-mail to me, Nicholas Gray pointed to a couple of set-backs during the production process. First, during the initial print run (part of a larger run for Harper Collins), the Allan's sheets were overlooked, which necessitated a second run. Unfortunately, the text blocks from that run were delivered pre-sewn, instead of folded and collated for the insertion of the Oxford maps. So it was back to the printers again, necessitating a delay of about six weeks. All the details are available at EvangelicalBible.com, a US distributor for Allan's Bibles, where the estimated arrival time is now late August, early September.

So let's be philosophical. The wait might seem excruciating, but in reality it's just a matter of weeks, and the fact is, these things happen in publishing, especially when you're trying to deliver a product of exceptional quality. Now more than ever, I'm looked forward to the debut of the new Allan's ESVs. To exchange information about the delivery dates, feel free to use the comments section of this post, so that others looking for info can find it easily. September isn't that far away!