*This
article is posted with permission from its author, Wayne
Goforth, and was published in Preceptor Magazine.
Premium Bibles
There are many
people who delight in getting a new Bible every year or two.
A new style, color, format, etc can be a nice change. Others,
though, like being able to use the same Bible for many years,
or even a lifetime. It becomes personal, an old friend. After
all, one gets use to which side of the page a particular
passage is located on, or how far over to open it to get to
the book you’re about to cite. Only a very few companies are
trying to fill that niche. Like many preachers, I go through
a new one about every five years. Not by choice, mind you,
but because of falling apart from low quality and heavy use.
If there is such a thing as “preacher Bibles” these would be
the ones.
So for those of us
who like the traditional, simple but well made Bible, what is
there available and where do we go? These are not to be found
on the shelves of Walmart or even that of most religious
bookstores. For the most part, we return to the land that
gave us the Bible in English to begin with, to England. Here
we can find beautiful, dignified, understated simplicity. Not
even all of these are red lettered or have paragraph
headings, lest it introduce commentary in so doing. These are
Bible purists with a proud heritage. The companies in this
category here reviewed are Trinitarian
Bible Society,
Cambridge
and
RL
Allan. All three
manufactured in the UK.
One of the great things about sewn Bibles is the fact that
right out of the box, they stay open, and lay completely flat
(calfskin may need some breaking in to do this). When you
open a sewn Bible, you can see all the way into the “gutter”
sometimes seeing even the stitching.
Cambridge
has
been printing Bibles since 1591, beginning with the Geneva
Bible, predating the King James. In the USA, these are
distributed through Baker Books. Cambridge still does some of
their own printing, others are sent out to Jongbloed in the
Netherlands. Cambridge also produces less expensive Bibles,
and these too are sewn, even including their paperbacks.
Their high-end Bibles are hand stitched. Cambridge has 2
editions, in a variety of covers, of the NKJV, ESV and the
NASB available: the Pitt
Minion is a compact
personal size and the Wide
Margin. Same text, but
larger Bible. In fact, even the page numbers correspond.
The Pitt
Minion is a beautiful and
handy sized Bible measuring 7.5 x 7.25 x 1, what a pity the
text is somewhat small (6.5 sized font) and not as crisp a
print as might be desired, but still a fantastic Bible (even
at the retail of $129.99 for Goatskin and $79.99 for
imitation leather). The name Pitt
is
derived from the fact that Pitt is the name of the printing
building at Cambridge. If you’re looking for a thinline
Bible, then this may well be the ideal choice of what you’re
looking for. If readability is your main concern, this may
not be your first choice. The letters and words are also
placed closer together to save space, but at the expense of
words running together if you have the least amount of
astigmatism. It’s an effort to make it more compact, so
that’s the tradeoff. The paper is so smooth and light that it
feels like silk. The Cambridge Bible Production Manager
attributes this to the fact that they use best quality
PDL/Bollore or Tervakovski paper. So particular are they that
they even print in the correct grain direction of the paper.
Printing presses for high end products are cold-set Timsons -
no heat drying process which cockles paper. The Wide Margin
has a slightly larger font, about an 8, and of course, wider
margin for notes. Because of that, it is printed on thicker
paper so as not to bleed through when writing. This Bible
measures 7.5 x 9.5 x 1.75. The goatskin retails for $229.99,
though less expensive covers are also available including
hardcover. Do remember that virtually no one sells these at
the full retail price though. The average price I am seeing
for these are in the $190 range. The NKJV and the NASB in the
Pitt and Wide margin are in paragraph format rather than
verse (where a new verse begins a new line) which can make it
tricky at first to locate passage if one is not used to it,
but should be able to adapt in time. Their KJV’s have many
more options available besides just the Pitt and Wide Margin
(though it is available in these too). In fact, I keep
threatening to go back to the KJV just so I can have the
binding and layout design that I want.
These same text types, Pitt Minion and the corresponding wide
margin, are also available from both R.L. Allan and
Trinitarian Bible Society (KJV only) as well (therefore much
of the information given here about the Cambridge Bibles will
apply to these as well), but originated with Cambridge.
Cambridge would be the “standard setter” in this category of
Bibles and would be that with which to compare all others.
Both Cambridge and Trinitarian publish the Concord Edition
KJV (and is ONLY available in KJV). This is a beautiful Bible
of elegant simplicity. It comes in the Pocket, Personal, Wide
Margin and Classic Reference Editions (the later is my sample
edition in goatskin and retails for $199.99. Though a bit
pricey for many, they have an excellent Personal Edition of
it in the leather looking/feeling vinyl that retails for an
affordable $49.99). No paragraph headings, but does have
detailed concordance, dictionary, maps and center column
references. The Personal Edition is about the same size as
the Pitt Minion. The Classic Reference is about an inch in
each direction larger. The Classic Reference is probably the
finest King James Bible currently published. One could only
wish that other translations were available in this style
R.L.
Allan is a family owned
business that has been in existence since 1863. Located in
Scotland, their specialty is fine leather outer shells. Some
are “natural leathers” which means that the leather has not
been molded and still bears the unique characteristics of
that animal… including bite or sting marks, and where they
were cut on barbed wire! As their website states, R.L Allan
actually bills your credit card in pounds, but your card will
reflect it in dollars (if in the USA). Their text is often
the text of other manufacturers such as Oxford, Cambridge,
Harper-Collins, etc. They then select their own binder and
premium leather covers. The best of all possible worlds.
According to Nicholas Gray, director of RL Allan , the Bible
publishing community is a close knit family who aid and share
with one another. Because of that, there are many
similarities between publishers. Mr. Gray compared to work of
a publisher to be like unto that of a conductor of an
orchestra, pulling the best crafts of other specialists
together. Perhaps the same text (bookblocks) and format with
only the cover being different between some manufacturers.
R.L. Allan is recognized as the best made Bibles to be found.
I am examining a copy of the ESV1 in Goatskin, retailing for
$210. I have never seen a Bible with such a beautiful cover,
milled paper that has little to no bleedthrough, and such a
quality appearance. Opening the box smells like you are in a
western boot store. The leather is just the right combination
of softness and support. I cannot vouch for any edition other
than this one, but if this is any indication of their others,
one couldn’t go wrong. If Cambridge is the Cadillac of
Bibles, R.L. Allan must be the Rolls Royce. Unfortunately
this is not available in a NKJV and does not appear to be
plans in the near future due to copyrights. One small
difference between Allan vs. Cambridge is that Allan has two
marker ribbons (three on some editions) in complimentary
colors, vs. one red one in the Cambridge. Small difference I
know, but with so many similarities, each difference should
be noted. These Bibles are virtually works of art, and what
Bibles should be.
Trinitarian
Bible Society is a London based
society since 1831 devoted to the circulation and advancement
of the KJV as the best translation, as well as study into the
various questions of translations. The society states that
they are not “KJV only” but that the KJV is simply the best
English translation. They distribute everything from mass
market to Cambridge Bibles made just for them with their name
and logo embossed on the spine. They have both the Concord
and Pitt Minion edition for which Cambridge is famous, but in
calfskin, along with many other editions and styles.
Cambridge does not market calfskin Bibles under their own
name, so with these, you can have a well made, sewn Bible
with Cambridge text at a much lower cost. The TBS Pitt Minion
retails for $56.40 and the Concord for $99 and the personal
sized reference for $45 compared to $79.99 for Cambridge
(both
being
in the French Morocco). The binder I asked to examine the TBS
Pitt Minion Bible remarked saying, “not quite as prettied up
as the others, but better made.” The calfskin is very durable
and attractive, though not quite as supple as the goatskin or
French Moroccan. In time it will break in, but until then,
the Bible does not stay open on its own as readily due to the
stiffness of the leather, but will in time. After handling it
sporadically over a couple of week’s period for this review,
the Bible now stays open flat no trouble! On the full-sized
Concord, the Cambridge does include a detailed dictionary
that the TBS does not. This makes the TBS about
1/4th
of an
inch thinner which is a welcomed tradeoff. The TBS retailing
for $99 and Cambridge in the French Morocco for $139.99. Both
have a good concordance, and two ribbon markers. Both the
personal and full-sized reference edition have an attractive
flat matte black binding that also begins a little stiff. If
Cambridge is the Cadillac then this is the Chevy of the
premium Bibles… same chassis just different body. Another
positive note on TBS is that they will not outsource the
printing to China due in part to the persecutions of
believers. It is rather ironic that many Bibles today are
printed in China, yet their citizens can be imprisoned for
owning one copy of what they produce. If one wants a KJV,
this may be the best choice for the money. Lower price,
quality Bible, attractive appearance, a company with
integrity. What’s not to love?
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