3 New Bibles

Over the past weeks I got my hands on 3 new Bibles!


The most interesting one is perhaps this vintage Eyre & Spottiswoode KJV in RED Fine Grain Morocco. All thanks to Mr David Falow for his kind offer.

The cover is plain & simple without all the fancy grain patterns of Cambridge's Water Buffalo Calfskin, or Allan's Highland goatskin. Very elegant in its simplicity.


According to Mr David Farlow:

Eyre & Spottiswoode, Ltd. was the London based printing firm that was the Queens's Printer, and subsequently, after April 1929, a publisher of the same name. were acquired by Cambridge university Press - The current Queen's Printer.

So, a bit of history lesson for me who knew nothing about this printing house...and I am glad I have the opportunity to own this beautiful Bible.


However, despite the many excellent qualities, it has a very "serious" flaw - its printing.

The printing is generally ok. And I was actually pleasantly surprised that its font size is as big as Oxford's Longprimer! Meaning, A++ in readability...that is until you come across the red letters!

The red letter parts are disappointing. Some small sections are extremely faded and another small sections exhibit "double image" problem. Now I can understand why some people have such "phobia" over red letter Bibles. The inconsistency in printing can be maddening. Otherwise this would have been a near perfect Bible.

Well, at least I come to appreciate my vintage red letter Cambridge Bibles much more now. They are crisp, dark red & "focused"! May be that's why Cambridge became the new HM Printer ;)


And talking about Cambridge, yes, I got myself another Cameo. This one is bound in Brown Cambria Bonded Leather. And looking at the crazy prices people are snapping up BONDED leather Cameos, I am glad I picked up this one at "basement bargain" price!

But a Bonded Leather is STILL a Bonded Leather despite the fancy name Cambridge has given to this particular edition. In terms of feel & suppleness, no way can you compare this to the luscious calfskin. It is still stiff & Bertrand-Yoga unfriendly.


Stiffness aside, this Cameo is nonetheless gorgeous. The "fake" grain pattern is especially attractive, and the color is beautiful. And MOST importantly, the printing inside is PERFECT. Yes, the red letters are sharp & dark.


But it does have a tiny flaw - the ungainly sight of clumsy workmanship in gluing! There are beads of dry glue all over the edges!


Last but not least is this humble looking paperback Bible given to me as a gift from my sister.



I haven't done much checking yet, but I understand this Bible version is done by a group of Messianic Jews. The OT books are arranged as per the "original" Hebrew Bible. And most unique of all - God's name, Yahweh & the name Jesus - are left untranslated in Hebrews throughout the pages. Very cool!


Praise the LORD for these new Bibles!