Poll: Bible Paper

[Joel_Tunnah]

So-called “bible paper” is a great way to ruin The Good Book, IMO. It’s see-thru, it rips, it bends, it gets dented by the ribbon marker… awful stuff.
Would you be willing to have two volumes, or a larger format, in order to have better paper - or does size matter?

 

[Pwrlftr]

So-called “bible paper” is a great way to ruin The Good Book, IMO. It’s see-thru, it rips, it bends, it gets dented by the ribbon marker… awful stuff.
Would you be willing to have two volumes, or a larger format, in order to have better paper - or does size matter?

The other thing is that if you highlight something on this type of paper it bleeds through to the other size. I would go with a thicker or multi-volume Bible for better paper.

 

[SpiritMeadow]

I agree it sucks if you like to do a lot of annotation which I do, but otherwise i can see no reason it “ruins” the bible. Any manner that is read is fine with me. It’s all about reading it I assume?

 

[puzzleannie]

as long as it is linen paper, acid free, so it will last a long time without discoloring, I am fine with it. I hate cheap new modern bibles on pulp pages that discolor and tear out of the bindings within a couple of years.

 

[TheOneTrueFred]

I’ve always liked the thinner paper. I wish it was more popular outside of bibles too, given how overpopulated my bookshelf is.

I only have one multi-volume bible, a 4 volume transcription of the pre-Challoner DR. While I love the text, each volume is pretty massive, I have to keep it in my closet because I have no room for it, and if I want to look for passages scattered around the scriptures I have to clunk through each near-phone book sized book to do it. Worth the effort, but I’d still rather have something like this.

 

[Pug]

What drives me insane is paper that discolors, cracks, and within no time at all, smells. Bible paper does none of this. For me, it is not about thinness. It is about lasting longer than a dime-store paperback. I have a number of books that I wish someone had bothered to have printed on acid-free paper. I had to buy a new copy of the Imitation of Christ simply because I could no longer read mine without sneezing. That’s fine if the book were 40 years old, I suppose, but it was five years old.

Also, I am partial to pages that don’t fall out on account of glue that hardens after two years.

I could go on whining, but this seems sufficient.

 

[lak611]

I like Bible paper. My Bibles are leather bound. The quality of the binding and the paper is good. I have never experienced a problem with tearing or binding breaking. I use the pencil highlighters that do not bleed through or tear the pages. Oxford, Cambridge, Scepter/Thomas Nelson, Crossway and Doubleday publish decent quality Bibles. The only company that I had a problem with was Zondervan. I had a Zondervan leather-bound Bible fall apart after only 3 months.

 

[ora_pro_nobis]

I heard a story years ago about an outreach programme to a prison which supplied bibles to the inmates. The bibles were incredibly popular and the people running the programme were delighted with how many bibles were being requested. However, when some prisoners were asking for 2 or 3 bibles the authorities became suspicious - turns out the pages were so thin they were ideal for use as cigarette papers!

 

[The_Truthinator]

Ha, ha! I’ve heard of inmates taking Bible pages and rolling–for cigarettes and other things, as well. Oh, well. At least they have one…

I bought a beautiful copy of the Qur’an last night. It was reasonably thick (about the dimensions of a regular-sized book), hardback, with a truly marvelous light green cover complete with Arabian artwork. Its pages were like a novel’s, its font just the same. Besides all this was the already beautiful prose of the Qur’an, which just added to its splendor.

Honestly, as far as aesthetics goes, it far surpasses my little paperback (I have the new paperback edition, which I like infinitely more than the older) NAB Bible. I’m hoping to order a RSV-2CE hardback off of Amazon soon, but till then I’ll make due.

All that said, I like a beautiful Bible that inspires reverence in reading. I like very much the Catechism’s format: hardcover, reasonable size and thickness, respectable font. I wish more Bibles were like it in these areas. Oh, well. As much as I flip out over something as stupid as a typo (I’m serious here), it’s no big deal really how it looks (at least ideally) as long as it transmits God’s Word.

But I’m still all for “pretty” and typo-free Bibles with thick, non-stinky and non-color changing pages, too.

 

[lak611]

All that said, I like a beautiful Bible that inspires reverence in reading. I like very much the Catechism’s format: hardcover, reasonable size and thickness, respectable font. I wish more Bibles were like it in these areas. Oh, well. As much as I flip out over something as stupid as a typo (I’m serious here), it’s no big deal really how it looks (at least ideally) as long as it transmits God’s Word.

But I’m still all for “pretty” and typo-free Bibles with thick, non-stinky and non-color changing pages, too.

I have the Catechism in paperback, but all my Bibles are leather-bound.

 

[The_Truthinator]

I have the Catechism in paperback, but all my Bibles are leather-bound.

Cool beans. I’m a vegetarian and I try to stray from leather as much as possible–though I have some faux leather bibles (and am wearing a f-l necklace right now, too).

I just think hardback is more dignified, suitable for display at home and private devotionals. For carrying around I own a paperback NAB and a “leather”-bound one, as well.

 

[lak611]

Cool beans. I’m a vegetarian and I try to stray from leather as much as possible–though I have some faux leather bibles (and am wearing a f-l necklace right now, too).

I just think hardback is more dignified, suitable for display at home and private devotionals. For carrying around I own a paperback NAB and a “leather”-bound one, as well.

Hardback can be a little heavier and bulkier. Some of the faux-leather looks really nice.

 

[The_Truthinator]

I know what you mean…

 

[Manfred]

The only company that I had a problem with was Zondervan. I had a Zondervan leather-bound Bible fall apart after only 3 months.

If it was Zondervan, it was probably the Non-inspiring Version; a lot of its renderings fall apart.

 

[lak611]

If it was Zondervan, it was probably the Non-inspiring Version; a lot of its renderings fall apart.

I do not remember which translation it was, but it was not the NIV. I never bothered to buy that translation. I have seen enough of it on-line to be convinced of its lack of merit.

 

[Joel_Tunnah]

Thanks for the responses so far. I’m a little surprised tissue paper has so many fans.
I guess the marketing people know what they’re doing.

Anyway, I’ve been experimenting with a pigment inkjet and acid-free, 32 lb, matte photo paper, and I think it’s superior to anything sold in any bookstore. But the thickness will require something the size of a bible to be multi-volume.

I bought the Riccolta from Loreto, and it’s nicely printed on regular cream colored book paper. But then I bought their Haydock bible, and it’s printed on ultra-thin bible paper. At 8.5 x 11, I think it’s really pushing what that paper can withstand. It does not inspire confidence when turning the pages. For $125, I’m disappointed.

Zondervan only uses glued-up spines - not sewn. They also do not sell real leather bibles - only “bonded leather”, which is mostly epoxy. The paper they use in their thinline bibles is unlike most other companies - it has more tooth to it, and is matte.

I own bibles by every major company, and most are mid to high priced, not the budget lines - and in every single one I can clearly read the page behind the page I’m looking at. In a few egregious cases, I can see through two pages.

 

[lak611]

Zondervan only uses glued-up spines - not sewn. They also do not sell real leather bibles - only “bonded leather”, which is mostly epoxy. The paper they use in their thinline bibles is unlike most other companies - it has more tooth to it, and is matte.

The one I purchased said “genuine leather” as opposed to “bonded leather”. I paid almost $70 for it. Perhaps the leather was ok, but the spine was not. It was not a thinline Bible. I will never buy anything from Zondervan again.

In terms of quality, the best Bibles I have are from Cambridge. They are calfskin leather, with a very high quality sewn spine. I did not even need to loosen the binding when I got them. They opened right up, and the pages were not stuck together. The leather still has a nice smell just like it did when they were new.

 

[Joel_Tunnah]

In terms of quality, the best Bibles I have are from Cambridge.

Yes, the best quality bible I own is the King James reference by Cambridge, with a goatskin cover. But honestly, for the prices they’re charging for them, the quality is somewhat underwhelming. The attention to detail, surprisingly just isn’t there.

 

[lak611]

Yes, the best quality bible I own is the King James reference by Cambridge, with a goatskin cover. But honestly, for the prices they’re charging for them, the quality is somewhat underwhelming. The attention to detail, surprisingly just isn’t there.

I have a KJV and a NEB by Cambridge. Even the gold on the edges of the paper has remained intact. Both of these were printed and bound in England. I am impressed with the quality. Another thing I have noticed is that a lot of American publishers outsource the printing. That may account for the inferior quality.

 

[Pug]

I own bibles by every major company, and most are mid to high priced, not the budget lines - and in every single one I can clearly read the page behind the page I’m looking at. In a few egregious cases, I can see through two pages.

Oh, you are right. In my expensive bible (Cambridge), if there is no other print in the way you can see the page underneath and the backside of the page underneath. This is the most obvious in the psalms and prophets, and not so obvious in places with very solid blocks of text. I’ve always been able to read it with no problems, though.

The bibles in our house were that way when I was a child. Perhaps it is that I am used to them?

As an aside, does anyone know if the lectionary or sacramentary (or some big book used at mass) are printed on the thicker kind of paper that you are talking about? Maybe if they are, you could obtain a nicer bible from the company that prints those.