About Bibles | EvangelicalBible.com

About Our Bibles

There is a lot to know about premium Bibles! Please take your time to scrolls through the information below. The Bible Finder is also a great place to start when you actually start your search.

Premium Bibles: What’s the difference?: EvangelicalBible.com stocks a wide range of Bibles. We carry paperback Bibles for evangelism which cost $2 and goatskin Bibles that can reach $350. Both Bibles contain the Word of God in their entirety. There are a range of intermediate qualities as well: bonded leather, genuine leather, french morocco, calfskin, etc.

The reason that EvangelicalBible.com has sought out excellence in binding is for the simple reason that many Christians use their Bibles considerably more than other books. If a book is read through once or twice in its lifetime, the binding quality is of less concern than if it is used daily over a lifetime. Our presupposition is that our customers will read their Bibles more than once or twice in their lifetime. With this in mind we have attempted to gather Bibles that are bound in such a way that their lifespan is considerably longer than others.

Another important distinction with Schuyler Bibles is that they are made in the Netherlands and Germany with paper sourced from France and leather primarily sourced from Italy. Read more about Schuyler’s commitment to not produce their Bibles in China here.
Durability: EvangelicalBible.com is proud to have some of the best crafted Bibles in the world, first, because of their durability. Schuyler, Cambridge, Allan, and a selection of other premium Bibles are more durable than others. One of the most important inputs into durability is the binding method. Higher quality Bibles have the sheets sewn in groups. Other Bibles use a glue adhesive which is less durable. The “Smyth-sewn” bound Bibles generally do not have pages falling out after a few years. The importance of durability will vary from person to person. Many people are attracted to the premium leather Bibles because Bibles are put to daily use, and often contain personal notes. It takes great effort to restart that process every few years. Sewn binding costs more than the more conventional glue adhesive, but for many people the added cost is worthwhile.
Legibility and Binding: Another important aspect of sewn binding is legibility. Sewn books generally lie flat when opened. This is important when trying to see the words nearest the middle of the Bible (in the “gutter”). All Schuyler, Allan, and most Cambridge Bibles have “edge-lined” binding. This is a handmade process which results in a much more durable cover and Bible.
Paper: Good paper is more costly than inexpensive paper. Many Bibles can be purchased at a local bookstore for $30 or less. The paper cost for a Schuyler Bible can exceed the cost of the average Bible. The reason is simple: paper sourced by Schuyler and Allan, for example, is both thin and opaque. There are only a couple of paper mills than make this type of paper. Paper quality is one of the most important components in Bible quality and legibility. It is often overshadowed by a flashy cover. In a real sense, a Bible’s quality cannot go further than its paper quality.
Cover: We offer Bibles in a wide variety of covers. First, leather covers are more durable than paper, synthetic or hardback shells. If you are one who plans on reading your Bible on a daily basis, and often carrying it with you, durability is an important consideration. Almost all leather covers are equally durable. A Smyth-sewn genuine leather Bible is a great choice. However, many genuine leather Bibles still have glued bindings. Smyth-sewn binding becomes more commonplace with the premium leather versions.

One of the reasons the softer leather Bibles are attractive is because of their flexibility. They open and roll into virtually any position. The softer leather Bibles translate into higher costs. Many Schuyler, Cambridge, and Allan covers have “natural grain” goatskin and calfskin covers. The vast majority of covers on the market today are “heat embossed” to hide imperfections. That is, the cover pattern you see comes from a mold. All Schuyler Bibles, and many Cambridge and Allan Bibles, have natural grain leather covers that reflect the “natural” or authentic grain of the animal from which it came. You can learn more about the leather bindings of Schuyler Bibles.

Finally, there are some Schuyler, Cambridge, and Allan covers that actually extend far over the edge of the pages. This is called a “full yapp” cover. The extra leather encases the pages and serves to protect the Bible.
Aesthetics: Bible cost is also a function of aesthetics — the way it looks and feels. Premium Bibles put an emphasis on detail and design. Have you ever owned a Bible whose gold edges faded after a year? For some, this detail is inconsequential. Cambridge, Schuyler and Allan Bibles have gilt edging that will not fade for many years because they use the “old school” technique of injecting a dye into the pages and then burning a gold foil onto the surface. This is a labor-intensive, costly technique that is also beautiful and long-lasting.
Other Factors: This article is not comprehensive, but simply introduces a variety of factors that determine quality and cost. Other factors that determine cost include layout, line matching, spine hubs, perimeter stitching, ribbons, and references such as concordances, an index, and color maps, to name a few more.
Trade-offs: Every edition is a product of certain purposes and trade-offs. All editions have their respective strengths and weaknesses. A “thinline” Bible is a good example. A successful thinline Bible is thin, light and portable. In order to make a Bible meet these specifications it will necessarily have a lower paper density (opaqueness). If it had the most opaque paper, it would be too thick to be a thinline. Similarly, a “wide margin” Bible should have margins wide enough for adequate note taking, as well as high quality Bible paper to handle writing. With such specifications it would be difficult to include large print. A large-print wide-margin Bible would have a 3 inch spine and weigh 10 pounds! The same would hold true for a Study Bible: with space devoted to study notes there would not be adequate room for wide margins or large print. The ESV Study Bible is already about 4.5 pounds, with 9 point font. Imagine its size and weight as a large print. Likewise, compact or personal size Bibles are going to have smaller print and thus lower legibility because one has to fit the same amount of information into a relatively smaller area. Most “classic reference” Bibles attempt to find the best balance of all these different criteria. Finally, price is another trade off criterion. In many cases less expensive Bibles are “cheaper,” because they use inferior materials to produce their products, or their binding techniques are less durable. In sum, every Bible has its purpose. Each person needs to focus on which criteria are important to them. No single Bible design receives top marks in each category.
Brief Guidance on Choosing a Bible: There are a lot of Bibles to choose from. How do I find the Bible that is right for me? We will try and provide some guidelines to assist you in this process. We cannot, of course, choose the Bible for you, but we may be able to point you in the right direction. The best place to start is our search tool.

So what’s the most important feature that you need in a Bible?

Typically we want everything in our personal Bible. We want it to be highly legible with wide margins, thick and opaque paper, bound in beautiful and durable goatskin, and able to fit in our back pocket. Wishful thinking!

Legibility: Perhaps legible text is the most important feature in the Bible. You want a Bible that is easy to read. Typically (there are, of course, always exceptions), pocket size, compact, personal size, wide margins, thinline Bibles – Bibles that have a premium on size or note-taking – are going to have smaller font size in order to be small. There are other factors associated with legibility, such as the degree to which print shows through the page: “ghosting.” Ghosting can be a distraction for some. Two factors mitigate against this. One is paper opacity. If the paper is relatively opaque the ‘see-through’ text will be less noticeable. Second is line matching. Bibles that have line matching will align text on both sides of a paper, which nearly eliminates the ‘see through’ issue altogether. Bible descriptions will have this feature listed.

Font Size: Font size is closely connected to legibility and is its most common yardstick. Typically font sizes of 10 point or greater have better than average legibility. Now here is a caution. Font size is not the only factor in the legibility of a typeface. Typefaces can look different in the same size. Example: Cambridge uses an 8 point Times semi-bold font for its Concord Reference Bibles. This Bible is however more legible than many other Bibles with larger fonts, particularly ‘thinner’ fonts.

Portability: A Bible that travels well can fit in a carry-on, back pack or purse. Remember that typically Bibles that carry well in a purse are not going to be at the top of the legibility charts. Having said that, there are some really great compact Bibles that are amazingly legible for their size.

Note-taking capability: A Bible should be able to withstand your writing. If note-taking is a premium you should be looking at 2 essential features: paper quality and width of margins. Some Allan Bibles have lined paper in the back of the Bible as well. Typically, wide margin Bibles are fairly big Bibles because of the added space for the 1″+ margin space. Do not expect the font size to exceptionally large, or more than 8–9 point (with the exception of the new Schuyler wide margins). If the text was large the Bible would be enormous.

Cross-References or Text:. Bibles typically come with or without cross-references. Anyone who has started to study the Bible knows how helpful cross-references can be. A quick note about these invaluable references: Many Bibles have cross-references that are so small as to be essentially illegible. If you want to have these in the Bible itself, take a minute to see if you will be able to read them. Keep in mind as well that there are dozens on other books and online resources to find cross references.

Classic Reference Bible: Many Bibles fall into the ‘classic size’ range. These Bibles do not fit into a specialty category and will require research to determine whether or not they fit your specifications. These Bibles have become the standard “go-to” Bible.

Study Bible: We carry a number of premium study Bibles. Of course, many people carry these to church every Sunday, but they average 4–5 lbs and can be a bit cumbersome.

About Our Bibles

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