Bible Design and Binding

Giving the Word

World Magazine's Susan Olasky touched based with me recently to ask about Bible rebinding. Her article "Giving the Word" in the June 14 issue focuses on ministries that help you donate used Bibles -- Christian Resources International and the Bible Foundation -- and ends with some remarks of mine about why people choose to rebind worn Bibles. (Note: the linked article will require log-in to read in its entirety.)

I wrote about "Giving Your Bible Away" back in September. I'm wondering: have any of you participated in Bible drives or similar donation programs? I'd like to hear about it. Also, in addition to the organizations mentioned in the article, are there any other engaged in such work that we should know about?

Iyov on The Nonesuch KJV

People are always complaining that reading this blog costs them money. Well, the shoe is on the other foot now. Iyov just posted about the amazing Nonesuch KJV, prompting me to hunt down a copy of the three-volume set and click the "buy now" button. Be warned: if you follow the link and have any love at all for the Authorized Version, be prepared to go and do likewise.

Nonesuch KJV

Even if you're not a KJV fan, follow the link and check out the magnificent typography. As Iyov says, this is a Bible meant for reading.

Adding a Ribbon to Your Bible

Why moan and complain about the lack of ribbons in your Bible when you can take a page from Matt Blair's book and add them yourself? Matt, who blogs at The Foolish Galatian, has created a photo tutorial demonstrating his method, which involves a pencil, epoxy, some ribbon, and scissors. Check it out:

Adding Ribbons to Your Bible

You may be wondering why anyone would need more than a single ribbon, so here's a quick explanation of the multi-ribbon craze. If you're reading your Bible front to back, or you only use your ribbon to mark a single passage (say, the text for a particular sermon), then one will do fine. But suppose you adopt a reading plan that involves daily excerpts from the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Psalms? You'll need three ribbons to mark each place. Prayer books and breviaries, which send readings back and forth in search of the various parts of a single service -- order, psalter, collect, lectionary readings, etc. -- have long sported multiple ribbons, often of various colors, but until relatively recently, it was unusual to find a Bible with more than a single ribbon. Now, having two is considered a luxury, but the optimal number seems to be three (OT, NT, Psalms).

With Matt's help, you can now add ribbons to your heart's content!

Contacting Abba Bibles

In case some of you missed this in the comments, I wanted to call your attention to this information left by Lorena Villeda de Barrón from Abba Bibles. She thanks Cristian Franco -- as do we all! -- for sharing his rebound Bibles with us, and the provides information for those of you wishing to contact Abba Bibles. Here's the full message:

"Cristian, We really appreciated all your effort to show the people our work. Abba Bibles is ministry that hire mainly single mothers and special people also. It’s a blessing of our God ´to serve all of you. Our website is under construction, but you can be in touch with us by e-mail as Cristian Franco informs you.

God bless you,
Lorena Villeda de Barrón
Abba bibles
International Projects
Phone 5255-5672-9679 / Fax 5255- 5243-8418.
lorena@abbabibles.com
Joshua 1:8"

Needless to say, if any of you do have a Bible rebound by Abba Bibles, I expect some photos!

Custom Bible Covers from Renaissance Art

You don't have to rebind your Bible to add a nice cover. As Robert Jimenez reports at Weird Thinkers, you can look up the fine folks at Renaissance Art and order a custom leather book cover. Robert's, which set him back just under $40, fits quite nicely and arrived in a matter of days. Follow the link to his site for photos.

Does Leather Hasten Acceptance?

When Crossway's Stephen Smith told me about research suggesting religious technology is more likely to catch on when it's upholstered in leather, I thought he was making fun of me. Apparently not. Check out the info at the ESV Blog, which links to my iPhone post and the research both.

Binding Boot Camp: Some Basics from Acme Bookbinding

I'm always on the lookout for good explanations of the publishing process, so I'd like to share one I find particularly valuable. "The Making of the Modern Book" is a talk presented by Paul Parisi, president of Acme Bookbinding, which goes into detail about the way books are made now, the reasons for the decline in quality, and much more. If you're just starting to wonder about the way books are made, this reading is highly recommended. Although it focuses on the differences between library bindings and trade hardback binding, the material is relevant across the spectrum.

The Holman CSB Legacy Bible @ Weird Thinkers

I haven't covered any HCSB editions yet, but if you're curious about the Holman CSB Legacy UltraThin Reference Bible, Robert Jimenez has posted a review at his site, Weird Thinkers, along with photos. By the way, if you're interested in the HCSB -- or in a behind-the-scenes look at Bible translation -- be sure to check out this interview with Dr. Ed Blum, the general editor of the HCSB, at Anwoth (which also links to other resources). The edition of the HCSB so many people seem to rave about is the single-column Minister's Bible (in true Bible publisher fashion, Holman features a photo of the packaging, not the product). One of these days, I'll get my hands on one. In the meantime, check out Robert's spotlight on the Legacy edition!

Oxford Study Bible (REB) @ He Is Sufficient

It's always a pleasure to find an out-of-print edition. ElShaddai Edwards managed to locate an Oxford Study Bible from the 1990s in genuine leather, and he's posted photos on his blog, He Is Sufficient: "A leather look at the Oxford Study Bible." Based on the pictures, it seems to be a very attractive setting of the Revised English Bible in the quintessential Oxford style: gold line inside the cover, gold ribbons and gilt. Follow the link for more details -- it's worth a look.

FAQ, Search and More

I'm supposed to be writing a novel right now, which is why I've updated the site four times in one day. Procrastination is the mother of blogging. But you enjoy the benefits! How about a few more?

FAQ Page

At long last, I have added an FAQ page for new readers, covering everything from advice on buying or rebinding a Bible to the blog's history and inner workings. I tried to cover all the recurring questions, but I'm sure I left some things out. If you think of anything I should address in the FAQ, let me know in the comments.

Search Feature

First there was a search feature, then there wasn't, and now it's back. In fact, there are two. The first is powered by Technorati, but it doesn't seem to search the comments. The second is powered by Google, but until the site is properly indexed (which could take a few days) it won't turn up much. I did a search for goatskin, for example, and got one hit. Whichever one works best in the long run will stay.

For Publishers

I've also added a page specifically For Publishers. There are a growing number of industry people reading the blog, and this addresses questions they might have about reviews, photos and that sort of thing.

The Form of the (Good) Book @ The Master's Artist

As some of you already know, I blog most Fridays at The Master's Artist, a group blog about faith and art, and today I introduced my friends over there to the Bible Design & Binding Blog. So first, let me welcome new visitors coming to us via The Master's Artist. I'd also like to invite BibleDesignBlog.com readers with an interest in the arts to click over and check out the Master's Artist. You might be particularly interested in my post about this place:

The Form of the (Good) Book

I could try and explain better what The Master's Artist is, but fortunately Greg Wolfe, the editor of Image, already did that. Last month in Christianity Today, he called it "an excellent example of a group blog, a true community of like-minded but highly individual writers. . . . Topics range from the state of Christian publishing to craft issues to lyrical meditations on writing as a spiritual discipline."

What do they call it when two communities get together and cross-pollinate? Oh, yeah. Synergy. Let's have some of that!

New URL: bibledesignblog.com

Here's some news: From now on, you can access this site at www.bibledesignblog.com. The content hasn't moved, but I'm taking advantage of Typepad's domain mapping feature to make it easier for readers to find us. Instead of typing jmarkbertrand.typepad.com/bibledesign, you can enter bibledesignblog.com and save yourself some effort.

I'd appreciate it if, when referring people to the site, you used the new address. The longer one still works, though, so there's no need to update old links.

So with no further ado, welcome to BibleDesignBlog.com.

Writing and Highlighting in Your Bible

Do you write in your Bible? For me, it depends. I tend to leave most of them alone, saving the notes and highlighting for editions designed for it: wide margins. Here's a photo of my Cambridge KJV wide margin opened to Ephesians 1. The notes are for a class I taught on the text.

Over at The Foolish Galatian, Matt Blair has gone crazy with his Zebra highlighter, marking up his new Personal Size Reference ESV. As I mentioned yesterday, I've been reading mine daily and really loving it -- but I haven't worked up the nerve yet to write in it (and probably won't). Now I can experience it vicariously through Matt (and so can you).

Matt also links to an excellent post by Jesus Saenz on what kind of pen to use when marking your Bible (a Pigma Micron). In the past, I've used regular ballpoints, which don't seem to bleed through as much as my usual rollerballs. If I ever work up the nerve to mark up my Personal Size Reference ESV, I will now know the best tools for the job.

Win Matt's Reformation Blank Study Bible

Remember Matt Blair's Blank Bible conversion of the ESV Reformation Study Bible? After all that work, he's decided to give it away. All you have to do is contribute a 100-300 word essay about why you should be the one to get it! All the details are on Matt's blog, The Foolish Galatian. Follow the link:

Win My Reformation Blank Study Bible

Good luck to everyone who enters!

Anatomy of a Blank Bible

Matt Blair at The Foolish Galatian has posted a series of photos to Flickr documenting the step-by-step process involved in transforming a Reformation Study Bible into a multi-volume "blank" Bible. If you're curious about what a book binding looks like when the cover is stripped away, this pictorial is worth checking out. Matt takes a razor to the thing, separating the individual signatures. After looking at the photos, I feel a bit like King Agrippa -- almost persuaded. I'm still a little too squeamish to try something like this myself, though it looks like fun.

Allan's ESV Now Available at EvangelicalBible.com

I received word this week from Paul at EvangelicalBible.com, a site devoted to retailing the English Standard Version, that they will now be offering both the black and tan editions of the ESV from R. L. Allan. They list for $169.99 each, and shipping is free, so you'll save a few dollars over having one imported from the UK.

In checking out the site, I found a chart assigning grades (A through F) to the various editions of the ESV, in categories like readability, durability and paper. I don't know that I'd agree with every assessment, but it's interesting to see someone making the effort. There's also a handy font size list for those of you who think 6 pt. type is too small to read!

Other than EvangelicalBible.com, the only site I'm aware of offering Allan's editions -- apart from Bibles-Direct.com, obviously -- is this one in Canada, which offers a couple of Oxford KJVs.

A New Spin on the Stack

Fr. Bill Klock shared his stack of Bibles a while back, and now he's done the same with his extensive collection of Prayer Books -- three stacks' worth, in fact. If you're interested in the Book of Common Prayer, be sure to follow the link. But be warned -- reading his post, I couldn't help ordering another BCP, so this could cost you!

Study Renaissance Bibles at Trinity College, Dublin

Dr Crawford Gribben, who is the Long Room Hub Senior Lecturer in Early Modern Print Culture at Trinity College in Dublin -- as well as a reader of this blog -- e-mailed me with some news that will be of interest to academics in the audience. He's directing a new PhD program at Trinity College and has twelve fully-funded scholarships to award. Here are the details:

12 fully-funded 4-year PhD scholarships are available for Arts and Humanities research in Trinity College Dublin

A new interdisciplinary and inter-institutional PhD pathway for research in Arts and Humanities has been launched by Trinity College Dublin in conjunction with NUI Galway and University College Cork. 12 four-year scholarships of fees plus €16,000 per annum are available for those who wish to pursue this pathway as students of Trinity College Dublin. Other scholarships are being offered by NUI Galway and University College Cork. The scholarship competition at Trinity College Dublin is open to both EU and non-EU applicants. The closing date for entry is 1 March 2008.

Texts, Contexts, Cultures has been designed to prepare students for life in academia – and beyond. First-year students will develop their research through multi-institutional training elements in the pathway's core themes – History of the Book, Imaging Ireland and Renaissance intellectual history – much of which training will be delivered through audiovisual and online networks. Research will be supervised by multi-institutional scholarly panels. Students will also be provided with the opportunity for work placement in the knowledge economy sector.

Dr John Hegarty, Provost of Trinity College Dublin, commented that the Texts, Contexts, Cultures pathway "represents an exciting new beginning for higher education in Ireland and for higher education itself."

Full details can be found on www.textscontextscultures.ie . All enquiries should be directed to Dr Crawford Gribben, the Director of Texts, Contexts, Cultures at Trinity College Dublin ( crawford.gribben@tcd.ie).

Dr. Gribben teaches a course focusing on Renaissance Bibles, including their design and binding! There's a PDF course description online that gives a flavor -- "Group exercises will include the preparation of an online
annotated edition of part of an individual Biblical book, which edition will compare the forms and contents of
various early modern texts, translations and multimedia receptions." Tempting, isn't it? If this sounds like it might be for you, get in touch with Dr. Gribben and take advantage of the opportunity.

Rick Mansfield Reviews the TNIV Reference Bible

I hope you've already got Rick Mansfield's excellent blog bookmarked, but just in case, I want to mention that he's posted a hands-on review of the TNIV Reference Bible, and a follow-up that features his own mock-up for a wide-margin edition (which looks great). Unfortunately, it looks like the publishers are sticking with that oddball font choice -- otherwise, the design seems very attractive. It's a single column setting, which always warms my heart. If you haven't already, be sure to check it out.

Snapshot of an Allan's NRSV in Goatskin

Mark Strobel had kindly sent along a snapshot of his new R. L. Allan NRSV bound in goatskin. I haven't seen one of these up close and personal yet, but the photo certainly whets my appetite. The typeface looks clean and modern, and the use of dotted lines in the center column reminds me of the Cambridge Pocket Cross-Reference I reviewed earlier.

If you're looking for a nice edition of the NRSV, I don't imagine you'd go wrong with this one. It's available from Bibles-Direct.com and sells for £65.00, which works out to about $133 in our increasingly worthless American money.

On the Radio: Prime Time America @ 4:30 PM (Central)

This is short notice, but if you happen to be a Prime Time America listener, I'm booked to appear on the show today to talk about Rethinking Worldview. It's a live interview, and it should be on the air somewhere around the 4:30 PM mark, give or take. If you're not in the listening area, you can follow the link to the Prime Time America site and listen online.

For the binding purists out there, I'm sorry to report that Rethinking Worldview has a glued binding, a paper cover, and no ribbons whatsoever. The page edges aren't art-gilt, either. And I haven't heard even one rumor that R. L. Allan plans to do its own run of the book bound in highland goatskin. The text is, however, set in a single column, so that's something!

Talking About Translation

The always-irenic Wayne Leman at Better Bibles Blog links to a back-and-forth on Bible translation theory that manages to generate more light than heat. Translation issues don't get much play here, where the focus is on design and binding, partly because I follow Augustine's advice that it's best to have a variety of translations and compare, and partly because I'd quickly exhaust my little fund of expertise. (If you really want to know my thoughts, I share them in a Radio Worldview podcast called "Bible Translations" which is linked under the Features headline at right.)

One thing I wonder is how the conversation on translation would change if the focus were more on how to translate particular texts than on theory in the abstract. In aesthetics, I know it's possible to build elaborate theories that aren't really borne out in the work of the artists who espouse them, and it seems to me a similar phenomenon happens with translation. We could probably all think of particular renderings that set our teeth on edge -- but is it because of the theory behind the entire endeavor, or the choices made in translating a particular line?

Test Drive the Literary Study Bible

If you're wondering about the just-released Literary Study Bible, and your questions haven't been answered by the thorough review and interview of Leland Ryken at The Shepherd's Scrapbook, you can now take the LSB for a thirty-day test drive online. Justin Taylor has the scoop:

The Literary Study Bible is now online for browsing. Here's how it works:

You can browse the notes free for thirty days.

If you own (or have ordered) a print copy of the Literary Study Bible, you get free access for six months.

Once your free trial period has expired, you can buy continued online access for $19.99, or $9.99 if you own a print Literary Study Bible.

The Westminster Bookstore has the print version of the Bible (hardcover) on sale for $29.99 (40% off of retail).