What Douay-Rheims Bible should I get?

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They’re both from the same wonderful publisher, either one is good!
 
The Haydock Bible is by far the best: it has both his notes (which are probably equal to a full four-volume Biblical commentary in normal size type, and no notes available today are even close to equal), and is the only DRC with truly large type (11-12pt). Most DRC Bibles have tiny font that’s annoying to read and makes one tired: the “large font” ones are closer to most other Bibles. Downside: in one volume, it’s too large to use unless laid on a desk, in the two-volume softcover set, it’s still massive, but one can use it (but not carry it around).

The second-best is the one that has the Clementina Vulgata in it side-by-side with the DRC. The third best is the SBP leather large print version. Fourth best is the Baronius Press large-print edition, leather over hardcover (which you’ve linked to). The fifth best is the TAN Hardcover. No matter what, stay away from the softcover: it’s poorly-made, poorly-typeset and next to useless.

Both of the ones you linked to are the Baronius Pres leather over board. They’re identical except for the color. If the pictures are any indication, the black is far better. In real life, the red might be more of a burgundy. I have Bibles of all colors, red, blue, black, white, and brown, but strongly prefer black for bonded and cheaper leathers, with a slight preference for natural-hide brown color (second choice: black) for high quality calfskin and goatskin books, like Cambridge and RA Allen put out. High-quality fake leather (like Crossway’s ESV “TruTone”) also looks good in brown or black. Other colors, such as red and white, are all too often an attempt to hide imperfections and flaws in the leather.

See if you can find the large print (probably 8.5 or 9 point compared to 7) edition. You’ll realize when you see it.

This one:

amazon.co.uk/Holy-Bible-Douay-Rheims-Version/dp/193530223X/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327535999&sr=1-3

By Saint Benedict’s Press, is cheaper, has larger print, and is bound in a “normal” leather binding with somewhat better leather, e.g. the cover is flexible. The Baronius edition is a hardcover with leather over it, which is historically accurate and preferred by some, but not me (and it allows a very thin leather to be used for coating the board, giving a plasticine feel).

This one:

amazon.co.uk/Douay-Rheims-Bible-Pope-Leo-XIII/dp/1930278241/ref=sr_1_32?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327536286&sr=1-32

Has two thick ribbons and looks nice, but I’ve not seen one in real life.

If you know any Latin, this one (the interlinear) amazon.co.uk/Douay-Rheims-Clementina-Vulgata-English-Latin-Bible/dp/1905574444/ref=sr_1_28?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327536286&sr=1-28

Is well worth it, although you’d be better off buying from America and paying for overseas shipping (it’s $80 in America - no matter the shipping charges, that’s going to be cheaper than 100+ quid).
 
alwayslooking said:
The two Bibles that you posted are literally the same book. They are by the same publisher. The only difference is the cover color.
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Is that so? One of them has a cover that is “bonded leather” (a mostly artificial, reconstituted product), while the other says “leather bound,” which ought to be actual leather (though you can never tell with advertising).
 
I just purchased the one at the first link for my mother for Christmas. It is very nice.
 
MarkThompson said:
Is that so? One of them has a cover that is “bonded leather” (a mostly artificial, reconstituted product), while the other says “leather bound,” which ought to be actual leather (though you can never tell with advertising).
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They are identical books, with very thin plastic-like bonded leather over a hardcover (very rare today, and enabling the use of a reconstituted leather that could not be used without falling apart on a floppy leatherback book). Amazon’s listing of bindings beyond “hardcover” and “softcover” is very seldom accurate. “Genuine leather” often means “bonded leather”, sometimes “bonded leather” is no leather at all (sometimes that weird textured paper/plastic as used on the Haydock Bible and New JPS Tanakh), or cheap genuine leather, or pleather/TruTone (as the “New Catholic Answer Bible” in the less-than-acceptable NABRE translation was sold as “genuine leather” for a long time, and actually was plastic leather - albeit modern plastic leathers are much nicer than anything but the nicest calf and goatskins, but much less durable than any kind of leather, reconstituted or not), and “other binding” can be anything, etc.

Those books are a good example: they are better described as hardcovers, than as leather-bound.
 
I use Haydock Bible for my regular bible study and it’s well worth it. :bible1:
 
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