Bible Design and Binding

Two KJVs from the Folio Society

If you're one of those people looking to commemmorate the 400th anniversary of the King James Version in a big way ... I mean, a really big way, then the Folio Society has something for you:

According to the website description: "This two-volume edition is bound in full goatskin leather, blocked with calligraphy by Stephen Raw. With gilded page edges, double ribbon markers and presented in a wooden slipcase lined with moiré silk, this is an edition to be read and handed down for generations." The list price is a mere $975.

I haven't handled one up close, but judging from the photos, this looks like a splendid edition. It follows David Norton's restored 1611 text and in the glimpse provided above appears to be typographically opulent. If your reverence for the KJV isn't enough to justify laying out a thousand dollars -- or if your budget doesn't seem to think reverence has anything to do with it, the Folio Society offers a more economical edition, too:

This one is bound in two shades of book cloth and is listed at $150. The description sounds good: "Single column formatting makes the most of the typography, and the text is carefully set into paragraphs to make it easy to read. For this exclusive Folio edition a larger than usual format and thicker paper have been used. The result is a superbly clear presentation of the Bible that remains unchallenged for its beauty and power." No interior shots are provided, so it's hard to judge how thick the thicker paper really is. Still, it's nice to hear. 

While I don't have either of these editions, I do have shelves full of Folio Society volumes. They're well made books with an old school, decorative ethos. If you're looking for a show-stopping gift to give this Christmas to the Jacobophile in your life, either of these would fit the bill. 

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.

Craftsmanship & The Linocut

I've been studying up a bit on book arts, in hopes of improving the quality of my observations here and having a lot of anachronistic fun. In the age of the e-book, there's something satisfying in an against-the-grain activity like setting lead type. Not to mention, this week -- thanks to the good graces of longtime BDB reader Mark Strobel -- I'm going to have some hands-on time with the magnificent letterpress masterpiece, the Arion Bible. Rest assured, photos will be taken.

In the meantime, I've been writing about some of my letterpress experiences: 

"Craftsmanship"

"The Linocut"

I'll be chronicling the journey primarily at my author blog, Crime Genre, with a little relevant spillover here. Expect some bookbinding posts, too. (I don't expect to get really good at it, but hopefully I'll learn enough to better appreciate those who are!)

And in case you're wondering, yes, I took the photo above while rummaging through the type cases at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. And yes, somebody has jumbled up the sizes of the Rs. (Not me!)

More Flipback Love

After Jongbloed managing director Hugo van Woerden gave me a stack of dwarsligger/transetto/flipbacks last month, I mentioned my thrill at discovering John le Carre's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in the new format. The question you have to ask, when faced with such a startling departure from the traditional book concept, is whether it really works. Can you read a whole book this way, or is it just a clever gimmick? Over at my other blog, I answer the question based on my experience of the past couple of weeks. If you're interested, check it out: 

A Pocket Book That Really Fits

While you're there, you can also find out why I hate the new Kindle ads and why some bookcases from the 60s have me sorting through my collection of books.

Sixty-Six Clouds: Visualizing Word Frequency in the Bible

My taste in art doesn't run to the sentimental. There are no paintings of glowing cottages on my walls, no feel-good mottos stenciled with leafy borders. Popular religious art tends to be pretty kitschy in my book, which is why you won't bump into me in the "gift" section of the Christian bookstore. What can I say? I'm an austere, logocentric kind of guy.

Which is why I find this so appealing:

Brad Thomas plugged the text of the NIV into Wordle.net to study word frequency in the various books of the Bible. The more common the word, the larger it appears in the resulting word cloud. And in addition to being informative, these clouds have an aesthetic quality to them, so he decided to make them available in both book and poster form. There's also a video showing each of the 66 word clouds making up the Bible:

For more info about the project, including how to order books and posters, check out Sixty-Six Clouds: Visualizing Word Frequency in the Bible. And here's a clever way to make use of the posters, courtesy of Chaplaincy Matters:

I am currently using 66 clouds to make a timeline around my office wall that will contain when the books of the Bible were written and other religious events over the centuries. I will finish the timeline with what our school has been doing over the past 5 years (missions etc). This will not only make a visually interesting and stimulating display but will be a great learning tool.

That probably takes more wall space than I have, but it sounds pretty cool.

ESV SB Unboxing Photos

Fr. Bill Klock has posted photos of the TruTone ESV Study Bible at Northwest Anglican:

My ESV Study Bible Finally Arrived

Here's a taste:

"As others have noted, the text block (which I assume to be the same in all editions) is well manufactured.  The paper is thin, but nice.  There's not much bleed through.  The type, both text and notes, is easy to read.  It's a little reminiscent of the Reformation Study Bible, but better executed.  The maps, illustrations and diagrams are spectacular if not quite a slick as they looked in the big cardboard brochures that Crossway sent me in the Spring.  In general, I have to say that it looks great."

I concur. If you want to see how it looks, follow the link and enjoy! Also, if you have links to other posts on the ESV SB, please include them in the comments.

Blog Reaction to ESV Pitt Minion

Alan Cornett has posted photos of his new brown goatskin ESV Pitt Minion, including comparison shots with the tan Allan's ESV1. His thoughts on the differences are right on, so have a look:

Alan Cornett on the ESV Pitt Minion 

Know of any other blog posts about either edition? Post links in the comments here.

Good Deals

If you haven't been watching the exchange rates recently, you might not realize that the value of the British pound against the dollar has fallen considerably. Today at XE.com, one pound is worth $1.59. Not long ago, it was north of $1.90. That means an £85 Bible from R. L. Allan & Sons that would have cost more than $160 not long ago is closer to $135 now. So far, my efforts to convince my wife that going crazy on the Swaine Adeney Brigg site now makes good economic sense have met with little success, though.

Crossway is offering seconds of the ESV Thinline bound in cordovan calfskin for just $75. This is not only a $75 savings over retail, but about $30 less than the discounted firsts on Amazon. If you don't mind a Bible with a little damage -- and let's face it, a little damage up front might help you worry less about "abusing" a nice edition -- then this is worth considering. The cordovan calfskin is my favorite binding from Crossway. The large print in black calfskin is half off at $100, too.

I've come across another ESV deal, too, this time at EvangelicalBible.com, where they have a calfskin hardback Journaling Bible discounted to just $33.75. I have one of these and it's an elegant edition -- it would make a nice gift, too.

Any other deals out there? Let us know in the comments.

ESV Study Bible Under the Knife

For those of you mystified by the orange triangle on the cover of the ESV Study Bible with TruTone cover, Matt Blair has a solution: the scalpel. Sure enough, he's taken an X-Acto knife to the stitching and done away with the offending applique -- and posted the photos to prove it. Take a look at his blog, The Foolish Galatian:

"ESV Study Bible triangle hack"

Also, my thanks to Matt for linking to my Radio Worldview interview about Bible translations. Every so often, I'll get an e-mail asking for recommendations . . . if you want to know my thoughts, this interview is the place to go.

Review of the new Allan's Journal

There's a very helpful review of the newest version of the Allan's Journal over at Black Cover, which includes some photos of the original from my post awhile back. If you're wondering how they've changed, this is a good place to look.

If you're a notebook lover like me, you'll want to bookmark the site, along with notebookism where I found the original link. (And yes, I confess, when I saw one of my own photos on notebookism, I felt a warm fuzzy. People complain this site costs them, but that one has cost me plenty!)