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:

BBL

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.

FolioKJV2

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:

BLE

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. 

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
Previous
Previous

Grab Your Metaphorical Pitchfork!

Next
Next

DIY Bookbinding: Stripping Stiff Boards from an REB New Testament