Greek NT in Tan Calfskin by LeatherBibles.com

When my friend Scott Kay shared his stack of Bibles with us, I couldn't help noticing the Greek NT he'd had rebound by LeatherBibles.com. Since I receive a fair amount of questions about that site, and don't have much first-hand experience, I asked Scott to share some photos and tell us about the rebinding process. Here's his report: Scott Kay 10

As a student of Scripture, one of my great loves is the Greek New Testament. There’s nothing quite like digging into the depths of a passage in the original language and mining out the riches for yourself. Secondary sources like commentaries are invaluable as a resource, but they are still only secondary sources. In fact, I would be quick to say that the single greatest benefit seminary afforded me was the opportunity to learn Greek so I could study the text for myself. Nothing has proven more beneficial in my own grasp of Scripture.

As a pastor, my weekly duties revolve around delivering expository sermons to the congregation. So, wrestling with the translation and meaning of the Greek text of a given passage is a regular task for me.

Scott Kay 4

As a result, I am in constant contact with a UBS4 Greek New Testament. For some time, I had searched high and low to find a leather bound edition with a flexible cover. The United Bible Society offers a leather bound edition, but the cover is just as stiff as the normal hardback editions they sell. So, I decided to take a hardback edition and have it rebound in calfskin.

At the time I was ready to proceed with the project, the only high quality Bible rebinder I could find was LeatherBibles.com. They don’t sell a Greek New Testament, but they do take special orders.

The special order process is a simple but lengthy one. For around $190, I simply had to specify which particular Bible I wanted them to bind and the color of calfskin in which I wanted it bound. They purchase the Bible and rebind it as part of the price.

Scott Kay 3

I specified a tan calfskin UBS4 with the dictionary (I had to provide the ISBN #). At the time, I didn’t think of anything else to specify (ribbons, stamping, raised bands, end pages, etc.), but despite my ignorance, LeatherBibles did a fantastic job.

The leather is a beautiful hue of tan. It’s not too orange, and just the right degree of brown. The calfskin is quite soft and flexible, and arrived in a beautiful matte finish. It compares very similarly to the leather on a Nelson Signature Series Bible.

Scott Kay 2

Even though the hardback edition comes sewn, it appears that LeatherBibles had it resewn nicely as part of the price. They added two ¼” brown satin ribbons, gold stamping and raised bands on the spine, along with semi-yapp edges, and black leather-lined backing. Which, as it turns out, is exactly what I would have wanted. They really thought through the details well, and took great care to provide me with a beautiful and functional Bible.

Scott Kay 8

The hardbacks lay very flat from the start, and this rebinding only seemed to have lost a little of that flexibility. Even the dictionary section in the very back lies fairly flat. Smaller Bibles like these make it more difficult to achieve the flatness of a hardback, since they lack weight, so for the size, I am quite pleased with the flexibility.

Scott Kay 9

The only thing lost on rebinding a UBS4 are the 2 maps that come glued to the inside of the hardback covers. The 2 maps that are printed on the end pages were retained.

From time of order to arrival of my Bible, was a good 4-5 months, the time listed on their website. A long wait, to be sure, but it was well worth it. I absolutely love this little Bible.

Scott Kay 6

Thanks for the report, Scott. I appreciate all the effort you put into the photos, too!

J. MARK BERTRAND

J. Mark Bertrand is a novelist and pastor whose writing on Bible design has helped spark a publishing revolution. Mark is the author of Rethinking Worldview: Learning to Think, Live, and Speak in This World (Crossway, 2007), as well as the novels Back on Murder, Pattern of Wounds, and Nothing to Hide—described as a “series worth getting attached to” (Christianity Today) by “a major crime fiction talent” (Weekly Standard) in the vein of Michael Connelly, Ian Rankin, and Henning Mankell.

Mark has a BA in English Literature from Union University, an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston, and an M.Div. from Heidelberg Theological Seminary. Through his influential Bible Design Blog, Mark has championed a new generation of readable Bibles. He is a founding member of the steering committee of the Society of Bible Craftsmanship, and chairs the Society’s Award Committee. His work was featured in the November 2021 issue of FaithLife’s Bible Study Magazine.

Mark also serves on the board of Worldview Academy, where he has been a member of the faculty of theology since 2003. Since 2017, he has been an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America. He and his wife Laurie life in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

http://www.lectio.org
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