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Authorized,
Restored and Paragraphed!
The
New Cambridge Paragraph Bible (with Apocrypha) KJV
 Ever
since Cambridge announced plans to release the New Cambridge Paragraph
Bible, I've been getting e-mails from around the world. Since I've
campaigned (or at least, complained) long and hard for a modern,
single-column setting of King James Version, you can imagine with
how much excitement I greeted both the announcement and the periodic
reminders. I pre-ordered a copy from Amazon as soon as they were
listed, but months passed and the order was never filled, so I canceled
the order and placed another -- then canceled the second order to
place a third. Amazon always claimed the thing was in stock and
ready to ship, but they never shipped it. Finally, I broke down
and ordered it through a re-seller. When it arrived, I sat down
with the New Paragraph Bible and spent several hours turning page
by page to unstick the gilt edges and let the pages flow free. By
the time I was done, I'd formed some definite opinions.
WHAT
IS THE NEW CAMBRIDGE PARAGRAPH BIBLE?
The name derives from the original Cambridge Paragraph Bible, a
late nineteenth century edition edited by Frederick Scrivener. The
new editor, David Norton, undertook the task of researching the
textual choices of the original translators and restoring them.
The KJV never had a single, definitive "first edition."
Errors and variants were introduced almost immediately, and over
the centuries various editors have attempted to make amends, updating
spelling, punctuation and even wording. The last major revisions
(apart from Scrivener's) were made in the eighteenth century. Now,
Norton brings spelling and punctuation up to twenty-first century
standards, while at the same time restoring the translation itself
to its pure, seventeenth century origins.
 Of
course, the title says it all. This is the New Cambridge Paragraph
Bible, so named because the KJV text is presented in paragraph form
instead of the annoying traditional style, which inserts line breaks
after every verse. I've argued in the past that one of the reasons
contemporary readers -- even some well-educated ones -- have difficulty
reading the KJV text is that it is invariably set in an archiac,
unreadable style. In contrast, the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible
is pleasure to read. The type is set elegantly in 10 pt. Swift,
as befits the text, and the paper feels nice to the touch. Laying
open on the table, the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible is an impressive
sight.
Fans
of the King James Version ought to love this edition. There really
is nothing like it. The single-column text allows plenty of room
in the margin for the translator's notes, many of which are missing
in other editions. Also included (as it should be with every copy
of the KJV) is the introductory epistle titled "The Translators
to the Reader," a well-reasoned defense of the translation
and an exposition on translation theory in general. Many of the
errors of twentieth century "King James Only-ism" would
have been impossible for congregations to swallow if they'd been
able to see what the translators themselves had to say.
A
FEW SHORTCOMINGS
As
far as I'm concerned, there is no justification for double column
text settings. Think about it. The only type of books that still
use double columns are reference works. The Bible is not a reference
like a dictionary or thesaurus. It is meant to be read, and ought
to be designed like the books people actually read. The New Cambridge
Paragraph Bible gets this right. My only reservation is with the
decision to place the generous margin that contains the occasional
textual notes on the inside gutter. On the positive side, this insures
that the text is never swallowed in the crease the way it is with
many other editions. On the negative, it means that the margin cannot
be used effectively for note-taking, which would have been a nice
touch -- especially considering how large this Bible is (but more
on that in a moment).
The
New Cambridge Paragraph Bible also lacks a concordance. I imagine
the thinking behind this omission was that if the original editions
didn't have one, the restored edition shouldn't, either. That's
fine, but the decision makes it that much harder to use the New
Paragraph Bible for personal study or teaching.
 Of
course, that oversight pales in comparison with the two I'm about
to harp on: the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible's binding and size.
Let's address the binding first. It's no secret among connoisseurs
that Cambridge Bibles aren't what they once were. The quality of
materials and production has declined over the past ten years or
so. There was a time when I was confident that a Cambridge Bible
would be better than any other on the market, but not anymore. The
New Cambridge Paragraph Bible is a victim of the decline. According
to the description printed inside, it is bound in French Morocco
leather. My example bears no stamp on the cover itself to confirm
this, and all I can say is that if the thin, hard substance used
on this Bible is indeed French Morocco, then French Morocco isn't
what it used to be. After minimal use, the edge of the cover is
already curling away from the book. As far as I can tell, the binding
itself is excellent. I just wish Cambridge had used a finer material
for the cover, one that measured up to the magisterial nature of
the project.
As
a result, my advice to shoppers is to handle the Bible in person
before buying. That might prove difficult, I suppose, given the
lack of availability, but if you can manage it, please do. In my
experience, there is a wide range in quality between Cambridge Bibles
of the same time bound in the same leather. For example, I have
two copies of the wide margin KJV, both bound in calfskin. One is
soft, supple and a pleasure to handle. The other is stiff as a board.
Hopefully there are nicer examples of the New Paragraph Bible floating
around out there.
 COLOSSAL
ERROR?
Now, I need to offer a lament about the size of this thing. I was
really hoping the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible would be issued
in a usuable format. The inclusion of the apocrypha adds thickness
to the volume, but still, this Bible is far too big! For comparison
purposes, I stacked it against Crossway's bulky Heirloom Edition
of the ESV -- which most people agree is too large for practical
use -- and the ideally-sized Allan's Reference Edition of the ESV.
As you can see from the photo, the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible
dwarfs them both. It's actually bigger than any of the Study Bibles
I own, in spite of the fact that it doesn't have any study notes,
concordance or maps. I would have gladly put up with smaller type
to have an edition of the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible I could
take with me to church and enjoy.
I
share the
hope of the Church Times reviewer that Cambridge will
use the new text and layout in other, handier editions of the KJV.
They didn't do this with Scrivener's edition, now all but forgotten,
and I fear that Norton's will go the same route -- reserved entirely
for
scholarly use -- if Cambridge does not introduce a more practical
edition at some point. (An edition from Penguin is also available
-- see below.) For the evangelical market, of course, where the
KJV still sells well, a smaller edition sans Apocrypha
would probably be the key.
WHAT
DOES IT ALL MEAN?
Here's
the part where I wax philosophical. I seriously doubt whether we
are going to see a single English-language translation enjoy the
kind of popularity the King James had for four hundred years. Even
if the various divisions of the church were to settle on a single
version -- which seems unlikely and might not even be a good thing
-- the resulting "authorized version" would not have the
cultural impact that the KJV has had, because Christianity no longer
has that kind of clout. For Christians without much sense of the
past, who find the King James difficult to understand and pointless
to grapple with, that might not seem like such a tragedy. But I'm
not one of them, and I think it is. That's why anything that can
get Christians interested in the King James Version -- for the right
reasons -- is going to get my unstinting approval and support. The
Cambridge New Paragraph Bible falls into that category.
Until
Cambridge makes it available in better, more practical editions
-- and let's face it, they've hardly made it available at all so
far -- the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible isn't going to reach the
audience it should. The only thing that might change that is if
some fanatical early adopters can generate interest. Bottom line:
if you love the KJV, then this Bible should be on your shelf. In
fact, in spite of the size, you should make it a point once in awhile
to bring the thing to church, show it off, and try to win an adherent
or two. That's my plan.
 THE
PENGUIN PAPERBACK
When this article originally appeared, the Penguin paperback
edition of the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible was still in the future.
Now, it's on the market, available
at Amazon. Like the leatherbound edition from Cambridge, it
is a bulky book -- but the paperback is considerably handier than
its high end cousin, as you can see from the comparison photo at
left. The textual notes are absent in the paperback, but some helpful
backmatter has been added: maps and extensive introductory notes
on individual books. The paperback includes the epistle dedicatory
but, unfortunately, not "The Translators to the Reader,"
in which the KJV translators explain and defend their work.
My
first question, of course, on receiving the Penguin edition was
whether the glued binding could be re-sewn and the whole thing fitted
with a nice leather (or possibly hardback) binding. I'm no expert,
but I think the inner margins are a bit too narrow to permit this
without dragging the edge of the text into the gutter. If anyone
manages to pull it off, though, I'd like to know.
One
of my initial concerns about the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible was
that, because of the impractical format of the first edition, it
would fail to find traction in the marketplace. So far, Cambridge
continues to print the KJV in the antiquated verse-per-paragraph
settings most of us are familiar with. Until they decide to use
this setting in their 'regular' KJV formats, it will probably remain
a niche product, a novelty -- which is really a shame. The Penguin
edition will help by making a handier, more practical version available
at an attractive price point. Still, I'd love to see the 'guts'
of this edition transplanted into a hand-sized, goatskin binding,
or even a clean, modern hardback like the ESV Journaling Bible.
This
is how the KJV ought to me experienced. Norton's magnificent edition,
coupled with this splendid, paragraphed setting, makes for the most
accurate, readable King James Version available today. With any
luck, Cambridge will transition its existing, old fashioned KJV
settings to this new one and help introduce an amazing piece of
scholarship to a much wider audience. Until that happens, the Penguin
paperback offers an affordable, relatively handy introduction to
the New Paragraph Bible.
For
more information, be sure to check out the Wikipedia entry
for the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible and the Cambridge University
Press webpages devoted to
the new revision and its companion volume. Also, check out The
Listener's
profile on Norton and his decade-long project.
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