Over the past months, KJV didn't just become my favourite Bible translation but I have also come to own some wonderful KJV Bibles by the grace of God. And since I don't foresee anymore KJV purchases in the near future, I thought it would be nice to share some thoughts on some of these Bibles that I dearly love.
* Feb 2009 CBA Best Seller list.
To me, it is a miracle that KJV, tracing its roots all the way back to 1611, is still in the print. With the archaic english & the wide availability of many other "better" modern translations, it is hard to believe KJV is STILL the number 2 best selling Bible TODAY! Amazing!
Throughout past months, I started to collect quality KJVs with the help of Mr Mark Bertrand's Blog. So below are some of my personal opinions/experiences that I hope you might find useful should you happen to desire to buy a premium quality KJV.
You are in luck if you are planning to buy a KJV Bible. There are plenty of choices out there with all kinds of feature-mix by various publishers. But should your objective be buying the very BEST PREMIUM QUALITY KJV Bible available, then the selection list quickly dwindles down to a selected few.
One of which, I highly recommend, is Cambridge Bible, the OLDEST Bible publisher on the planet.
The photo above shows the 4 popular Cambridge KJV variants (top to bottom):
- Pitt Minion (photo above is NKJV...but included for size comparison)
- Cameo
- Concord
- Turquoise/Presentation
There are more options available, but since I only have the above, I will only talk about these 4 types.
* Turquoise top, Concord right, Pitt Minion bottom, Cameo left.
What differentiate these options? Size is the chief factor, obviously (for exact measurement pls check the publisher's website.)
If you are having issues with small prints, then Concord or Turquoise will be your choice. If you need a grab-n-go Bible, than Pitt Minion or Cameo would fit the bill best. Or if you need just one all-rounder, then either Cameo or Concord would be the best bet.
Within the individual variant, Cambridge often offers additional options - with various extra "goodies" to different binding materials. All these options will affect the price of the Bible. But generally the biggest price determining factor is the type of leather the Bible is bound in. And, as a general rule, for the best, go for Goatskin (or Calfskin if available.)
A side note: perhaps most important of all, one KEY feature for any Bible that is going to last long - the text-block must be smyth sewn. (There is an inferior, cheaper option - glue. A glued Bible will only last for a couple of years before falling apart.)
Of the 4 different types, Pitt-Minion & Concord are readily available in bookshops - that is, if you are living in USA or UK. For the rest of the world I guess either Amazon or Christianbook.com is your best bet.
* Turquoise Saddle Brown in Antique French Morocco Leather & Cameo Water Buffalo Calfskin Apple Red
Cameo & Turquoise are both out of print versions but can still be found in some bookshops (online or otherwise) or Ebay. Now, just because these are out of print, it doesn't mean they become secondary in your selection list. On the contrary, these often become prized collectibles precisely because they are out of print! And that says a lot about their quality!
Like these 2 Bibles in the photo, both are more than 30 years old! Yet they "out-performed" most of today's premium editions! And the Apple Red Cameo is fast becoming my favourite Bible.
I understand it is the ULTIMATE dream for Bible lovers to stumble upon a cache of vintage Cambridge Bibles lying somewhere in some long forgotten basement... :)
For the rest of the world, Ebay could be your ONLY source. And as a general rule, prices is subject to fluctuate greatly pending on some obvious variables, such as, time of the year, the person bidding, or (the worst) if Mr Bertrand reports any rare offers...
Before you start to despair too much on the limited availability of these vintage gems, praise the LORD, there is ANOTHER option - a BETTER option IMHO! Allow me to recommend R.L. Allan & Son Publisher, the world best Bible publisher(?)
I understand it is the ULTIMATE dream for Bible lovers to stumble upon a cache of vintage Cambridge Bibles lying somewhere in some long forgotten basement... :)
For the rest of the world, Ebay could be your ONLY source. And as a general rule, prices is subject to fluctuate greatly pending on some obvious variables, such as, time of the year, the person bidding, or (the worst) if Mr Bertrand reports any rare offers...
Before you start to despair too much on the limited availability of these vintage gems, praise the LORD, there is ANOTHER option - a BETTER option IMHO! Allow me to recommend R.L. Allan & Son Publisher, the world best Bible publisher(?)
* Cambridge Turquoise at bottom, Allan Long Primer on top.
Oxford, the OTHER "oldest" Bible publisher, has some fabulous KJV options available. Unfortunately, or fortunately, they are no longer directly available under Oxford. But they are still available under RL Allan & Son Publisher. And THAT is the "fortunate part" as any Allan Bible owners can attest.
For instance, you can have an Allan Long Primer, the closest alternative to a Cambridge Turquoise/Presentation. Better and "cheaper" too.
Why I prefer Long Primer:
- Superb workmanship.
- Superior binding. The ultra luxurious Highland Goatskin option is simply the bestest leather :)
- Better overall print quality. "Ghosting" are comparable perhaps with Turquoise having a slight advantage.
- Superb RL Allan customer service.
* Turquoise on the left, and Long Primer the right.
...unless you simply must have the largest font possible...Or you don't like you Bible too liquid-limp...
* Cameo at bottom in Red, Allan Clarendon in Black & Brown.
Or should you not be able to get any Cambridge Cameo, Allan's superb selection of Oxford Brevier Clarendon & Blackface are worthy alternatives, if not better.
Here, personally, I have a HARDER time to declare a clear winner. The Cambridge Cameo in WaterBuffalo Calfskin is...stunningly beautiful and superb in every way. But if I must make a decision, I will still go for Allan's.
Why?
- Superior binding. The ultra luxurious Highland Goatskin option is simply the bestest leather :)
- Better overall print quality. "Ghosting" are comparable perhaps with Turquoise having a slight advantage.
- Superb RL Allan customer service.
* Turquoise on the left, and Long Primer the right.
...unless you simply must have the largest font possible...Or you don't like you Bible too liquid-limp...
* Cameo at bottom in Red, Allan Clarendon in Black & Brown.
Or should you not be able to get any Cambridge Cameo, Allan's superb selection of Oxford Brevier Clarendon & Blackface are worthy alternatives, if not better.
Here, personally, I have a HARDER time to declare a clear winner. The Cambridge Cameo in WaterBuffalo Calfskin is...stunningly beautiful and superb in every way. But if I must make a decision, I will still go for Allan's.
Why?
- Superb workmanship.
- Allan's "Open flat/Stay flat" feature is simply without comparison.
- The gorgeous Highland Goatskin option.
- Oxford's Cyclopedic Concordance is way more informative. (Btw, not all Allan's Clarendon come with Cyclopedic Concordance.)
- Wide range of options, and stock is readily available.
- Nothing beats the personal service of RL Allan.
* Both vintage Cambridge Turquoise (left) & Cameo (right) have the least "ghosting".
...UNLESS the opaqueness of the paper is of SUPREME importance...then I must say the Cameo has the advantage......Or those gorgeous Calfskin...
* Turquoise left, Concord right.
New or Vintage, Cambridge or RL Allan, you will find your ultimate KJV Bible if you: take the time do your homework, don't hurry, read Mark's blog (Be warned - DO NOT proceed should you only want to buy 1 or 2 good Bibles for the rest of your life,) check out the Publishers' website, ask plenty of questions...
- Allan's "Open flat/Stay flat" feature is simply without comparison.
- The gorgeous Highland Goatskin option.
- Oxford's Cyclopedic Concordance is way more informative. (Btw, not all Allan's Clarendon come with Cyclopedic Concordance.)
- Wide range of options, and stock is readily available.
- Nothing beats the personal service of RL Allan.
* Both vintage Cambridge Turquoise (left) & Cameo (right) have the least "ghosting".
...UNLESS the opaqueness of the paper is of SUPREME importance...then I must say the Cameo has the advantage......Or those gorgeous Calfskin...
* Turquoise left, Concord right.
New or Vintage, Cambridge or RL Allan, you will find your ultimate KJV Bible if you: take the time do your homework, don't hurry, read Mark's blog (Be warned - DO NOT proceed should you only want to buy 1 or 2 good Bibles for the rest of your life,) check out the Publishers' website, ask plenty of questions...
Now, should KJV not be your cup of tea, both Cambridge & RL Allan also offer premium quality Bibles for other translations too.
Last but not least, after buying, READ your Bible :)
There are other quality options out there of course. But it is my wish here to highlight just some of Cambridge's & RL Allan's.
Praise the LORD for all these options.
There are other quality options out there of course. But it is my wish here to highlight just some of Cambridge's & RL Allan's.
Praise the LORD for all these options.
4 comments:
Hi,
Thanks for your post, it helped me choose which Bibles to buy to try out. I am becoming a fan of the Cameo.
Just want to point something out in regards to the Bible sales. I have no doubt that the King James Bible is the #1 selling book every year. That chart you listed probably tracks Bible sales from brick and mortar stores, perhaps even online stores. However, it does not count Bible sales that come from hundreds, perhaps thousands of church publishers around the world. Because the King James is the only Bible that is not owned by any earthly man or corporation, anyone can print it up and sell it. If you do that with an NIV, NASB, ect., you will be sued for copyright infringement.
You ever hear of Local Church Bible Publishers in MI? Bearing Precious Seed who prints Bibles in OH? These are just two examples among countless of churches across the world who have purchased their own printing and binding equipment and are churning out the KJV like crazy. These sales do not get counted in "best seller" numbers because they are not sold in Christian book stores. Even if they were, outfits like the New York Times have stated that their best-seller lists do not include sales from Christian book stores and book clubs; the two places most Christians buy their Bibles. (If they did, the Bible would be #1 every week; how embarrassing!)
Good bless.
Hi,
Yeah, I found that chart you included in your post. It is from CBA (cbanews.org) and directly above the chart they state,
"The CBA Best-Seller and category top-seller lists are compiled from actual sales in Christian stores as reported through CROSS:SCAN. In order that our retail members may better utilize the Best Sellers Lists, CBA is now providing ISBNs/UPCs on all of the lists, with the exception of Bible lists."
If you count Bible sales worldwide period, no Bible--or no book for that matter--would come even close to the King James.
I always see missionaries coming through our churches who have managed to purchase their own printers so that they can print the copyright-free KJV to pass out or sell on the mission field.
I have zero doubt that King James sales leave all other translations in the dust.
I was born again in 1987 and immediately I took to modern translations the NIV and the NASS, among others. I wouldn't touch a KJV with a 10 foot pole! I did look at it for a verse here and there, but never any deep reading. About a year and a half ago I decided to give the KJV a real looking into and boy! What a great Bible! It cleared up a lot of confusing verses for me! I ran an apologetics ministry for a while and if I used the KJV I would have been better at presenting the Gospel. Overall I take the KJV over any translation out there. For me personally with the KzjV I memorize Scripture easier and I really feel the presense of God while I read and study with the KJV. That's my 2 cents. Have a blessed day!
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