Itsy
Bitsy
Bibles When
Big Things Comes In Small Packages
Some
pastors are going to hate me for this. They send me e-mails all
the time, and their biggest complaint is the small type size used
in so many Bibles. How can ... mature ... eyes be expected to read
these things? I know some of my readers would be happy to see legislation
passed prohibiting type under 12 pt., and I feel for them. Still,
I just love small Bibles. No, let me take that back: I love tiny
Bibles, itsy bitsy ones. The kind you can slip in a jacket pocket
and forget about. The kind you can carry with you everywhere. In
this roundup, I've collected three of the smallest editions in my
collection: a Compact ESV rebound by LeatherBibles.com, a Cambridge
Crystal Reference KJV bound by Allan's, and a Little Oxford Bible.
Let's
start with the biggest and work our way down. The Compact Thinline
ESV is small. The type is just over 6 pt. and the trim size is a
mere 3.75 x 5.75. It offers a concordance but no references. Old
eyes may find this edition unusable, but I happen to like it --
so much that I have six or seven of them lying around in various
bindings: two Collins editions from the UK in hardback and paperback,
two of the original bonded leather ones, a TruGlo, a bonded leather
Portfolio, and this one in soft calfskin from LeatherBibles.com.
If you visit their website, you'll see that this edition is no longer
available -- and for good reason. For some reason (possibly the
adhesive binding), the Bible simply won't lie flat. In the photograph
here, you can see that the inner part of the binding near the spine
is kind of pinched together, so that the pages only spill out flower-like
after the first half inch or so. Needless to say, that makes for
a difficult reading experience. Having said that, the leather is
attractive -- comparable to the soft calfskin used in Nelson Signature
Bibles -- and it comes with two ribbons.
The
second Bible in the line-up is from
R. L. Allan's. It's a Cambridge Crystal Reference KJV bound
in goatskin, measuring 3.75 x 5.5. The type size is comparable to
the ESV, but the font seems a little more readable. When you consider
how small this Bible is, under an inch thick, it's amazing to think
that this is a reference Bible complete with a concordance. The
goatskin cover feels exquisite, but it's a subtle luxury that only
makes itself apparent with use. I wish I'd had this Bible back when
I attended a church that used the so-called Authorized Version from
the pulpit, because the features would have come in handy at this
size. I'm not sure how this Bible, which is roughly the same thickness
and width as the ESV Compact Thinline and a quarter inch shorter
manages to pack so much onto the page (and offer wider margins to
boot), but it does.
The
last and smallest Bible in our diminutive line-up is the Little
Oxford Bible. Like the Compact Thinline ESV, it offers no references,
but it comes in at a mere 3.5 x 5. The sewn binding is quite supple,
though it doesn't quite lay flat. The covers are French Morocco
and have acquired a nice patina from use, though the ribbon is now
a bit frayed. I've never encountered a smaller Bible that was actually
usable -- and this one is emphatically usable, assuming you have
good eyes.
The
portability of these tiny Bibles is amazing. They're designed for
the hand and the pocket, not the shelf. They aren't as easy to read
as larger editions and perhaps they're smaller than they reasonably
need to be -- but as far as I'm concerned, they're wonderful. Thanks
to these itsy bitsy books, you can take a Bible with you anywhere
and read to your heart's content.
Some
pastors are going to hate me for this. They send me e-mails all
the time, and their biggest complaint is the small type size used
in so many Bibles. How can ... mature ... eyes be expected to read
these things? I know some of my readers would be happy to see legislation
passed prohibiting type under 12 pt., and I feel for them. Still,
I just love small Bibles. No, let me take that back: I love tiny
Bibles, itsy bitsy ones. The kind you can slip in a jacket pocket
and forget about. The kind you can carry with you everywhere. In
this roundup, I've collected three of the smallest editions in my
collection: a Compact ESV rebound by LeatherBibles.com, a Cambridge
Crystal Reference KJV bound by Allan's, and a Little Oxford Bible.
If you visit their website, you'll see that this edition is no longer
available -- and for good reason. For some reason (possibly the
adhesive binding), the Bible simply won't lie flat. In the photograph
here, you can see that the inner part of the binding near the spine
is kind of pinched together, so that the pages only spill out flower-like
after the first half inch or so. Needless to say, that makes for
a difficult reading experience. Having said that, the leather is
attractive -- comparable to the soft calfskin used in Nelson Signature
Bibles -- and it comes with two ribbons. 
The
second Bible in the line-up is from
The
last and smallest Bible in our diminutive line-up is the Little
Oxford Bible. Like the Compact Thinline ESV, it offers no references,
but it comes in at a mere 3.5 x 5. The sewn binding is quite supple,
though it doesn't quite lay flat. The covers are French Morocco
and have acquired a nice patina from use, though the ribbon is now
a bit frayed. I've never encountered a smaller Bible that was actually
usable -- and this one is emphatically usable, assuming you have
good eyes.