Bible Design and Binding

Bible Plus Coffee Equals Disaster?

Jonathan Summers poses a question for those of us who enjoy reading the Bible over morning coffee (and worry about getting coffee all over the Bible):

Q. "For those of us who enjoy a good cup of java while reading Bibles, is there anything you can do about coffee stains in pages? My dad once spilled coffee all over Romans 9 in a brand new deluxe ESV."

A. When I was a kid, I used to soak regular paper in coffee to give it the faux parchment look. I discovered the trick in one of those activities for children books -- Step 1 in the "create your own buried treasure map" chapter, I think. The only thing you can do for coffee stains in a Bible is dip the rest of it, too, so you get an even, antiqued look. On hot days, or when your hands warm the pages, your Bible will give off a great aroma, too.

I have a history with coffee catastrophes. At the Genius Desk inside the Apple Store in the Houston Galleria, they used to call me "the guy who poured the latte into his 17 inch Powerbook." I earned this reputation by setting a full 20-ounce cup of Starbucks behind my laptop screen (right by the air vent), then forgetting about it until I knocked it over. The liquid emptied straight into the vent, and I was none the wiser until the screen flickered and went dark. When I picked the computer up off the desk, coffee literally poured from the case. I figured it was done for, but once it had time to dry, everything worked fine. And whenever the cooling fan came on, the air filled with a pleasant coffee aroma.

Not that I learned my lesson or anything.

Repairing a Torn Page?

Abraham Armenta has a dilemma: his two-year-old decided to manually redact the book of 1 John 3. The question is, how to repair the damage? I haven't faced this problem myself, so I did a little searching online and came up with a couple of tutorials:

(a) How to repair a torn page (b) A Simple Book Repair Manual: Torn Pages

The trick seems to be in using document repair tape. Since I haven't done it, though, I'm wondering if anyone else out there has experience repairing torn Bible pages? Are there better techniques? Any special considerations when it comes to India paper? Please share!

UPDATE: Thanks to Matt Blair, we now have a pictorial of the process. Check out Matt's Flickr photo-set Fixing a torn page for an object lesson in how it's done. Matt also used his aforementioned method of adding ribbons to add three to his Deluxe Compact ESV, so check out those pictures, too.

Opening a New Bible

Phil Auxier asked a question recently, and I'd be interested in hearing what other readers think.

Q. "Is there a way to open [a new Bible], bend it, etc, that will give it a longer use? I had always heard that you should open it in the middle, then alternate gradually towards the back from the left and right of center."

A. I've heard the same thing, but I'm skeptical. I doubt the way you first open a Bible has much impact on its longevity -- assuming you don't do anything crazy. When I receive a new Bible, the first thing I do is pull the pages apart, since modern gilding tends to result in sticky edges. Until they're separated, the text block won't "flow" properly. Aside from that, though, I don't do anything special, or observe any rules about careful handling. So far, I have never experienced any problems as a result of this negligence. (Knock on wood.)

Having said that, there's probably some truth in the idea that, until a Bible has been used a bit, you should be careful how you treat the cover. Some loosen (in a good way) and grow more limp with use, so perhaps you might observe a "breaking-in" period. I don't, but that doesn't mean it isn't prudent.

I'm interested in what other people think. Does anyone have a special ritual when opening or breaking in a new Bible? Any care instructions to pass along?

Q & A: Wavy Page Edges

Tom Tickenoff sent me a question I think quite a few people would be interested in discussing. Here goes:

Q. What is it in the binding process that sometimes causes that pesky wave effect on the outer page edges? It seems to be kind of common even on some upper end bibles. What do you think?

A. The pages are printed on larger sheets and cut to size by a machine that basically operates on the guillotine principle. I've seen it done -- not on Bibles, but on regular print jobs -- and the wave seems to be a result of the stack of pages not being perfectly even in the machine (or the blade not cutting evenly). I don't know how it's done on Bibles, but when I observed it at the printer, it was a hand-operated machine, so the results depended on the individual. My first-ever Cambridge, a wide margin bound in Berkshire leather, had quite a wave, while others are perfectly smooth. My guess is that, the smaller the run, the more risk of this kind of imperfection exists. I've never seen it, for example, on mass produced Bibles.

Am I right, or have I missed it? Let me know in the comments.

The Sincerest Form of Flattery: The New Imitation Leather

Q. You've written about how impressed you are with the new generation of imitation leathers. What is this stuff made of and what makes it so good?

A. Here's the deal with the new imitation leathers -- the stuff the publishers call TruTone, TuTone, NuTone and what have you. They overturn the traditional thinking. Used to be, imitation leathers were at the bottom of the value pyramid, followed in ascending order by bonded leather, genuine leather, various varieties of calfskin, and goatskin. These days, an imitation leather cover is more flexible out of the box than pretty much all the bonded and genuine leather options available. That means the most affordable cover is also the the most practical, especially at a time when the quality of affordable leather seems to be on a downward spiral. As a result of all this, I'm fond of saying that the best values in the Bible market are at the extremes: at the low end and the high end, you get your money's worth -- in the middle there are no guarantees.

Binding Types: Glued, Sewn, or Hybrid?

One of the reasons I started the Bible Design and Binding Blog was to serve as a clearing house for information. Over the years, I've corresponded with a lot of people who share my interests, and I've learned a lot from them. I hope this blog will become a community where that kind of information exchange thrives. A perfect example from over the weekend is Dave's comment on glued and sewn bindings, which states the differences much more clearly than I've managed to do. I want to reproduce it here as a guide to others, along with an invitation to add what you know in the comments:

I freely admit that I also don't know much about the sewing methods, but there are a few varieties that I've run across in my searchfor the "perfect" Bible. The first is the typical glue binding where the end of the signatures are cut flat (usually with some grooves cut into them transversly to help the glue hold), pressed together, and glued.

Storing Your Bible

Q. I now have quite a few Bibles, some of which are premium leather, what is the best way to store these? Flat? In a bookshelf? In their original box?

A. The old time preacher in me is saying, "Bibles are meant to be used, not stored!" But I know exactly what you mean. Tolstoy once asked, "How much land does a man need?" My wife has wondered the same thing about Bibles. Growing up, I had just one Bible -- a gift, no less -- and it never occurred to me until my early twenties that it was possible to buy another. Once I got the bug, though, I never stopped, and this site is a testament to that fact.

A Guide for Beginners

Q. I'm shopping for a new Bible, and I don't have a clue about binding or the different types of leather. What do I need to know to make a good choice?

A. To keep things simple, I'll break the answer down into six basic points. I invite readers to add their own insight in the comments, too. Here goes:

1. A binding can be either (a) sewn or (b) glued. Sewn bindings are better quality and will last longer, but glued bindings are cheaper. If you've ever had pages -- or whole sections -- fall out of your Bible after use, the odds are it had a glued binding. If you're looking for a Bible that will last, get one with a sewn binding. Having said that, if you're careful with a glued binding, it can last a good while, too.

Inside an Allan's Reference ESV

From time to time, I intend to post answers to some of the most frequently asked questions I receive. The biggest by far has to be this one:

Q. How does the interior of the Allan's Reference ESV differ from the one available from Crossway?

A. Not a lot. R. L. Allan's is essentially taking a text block printed by Collins, the UK publisher of the ESV, and binding it. Type style and size are the same. The biggest difference you will notice is that the UK edition does not put the words of Christ in red. Also absent are the book introductions familiar from the American version. You may run across the occasional Anglicized spelling, but if you're familiar with the Classic Reference edition published by Crossway, there will be no big shocks when you open the Allan's ESV. The difference is the binding and the art-gilt edges.