Cambridge NRSV Popular Text Anglicized with Apocrypha Bible, Black French Morocco

5 reviews for Cambridge NRSV Popular Text Anglicized with Apocrypha Bible, Black French Morocco

1. Rated 4 out of 5

   Dale C – October 18, 2020

   This review is for the 2017 Printing, NR533T (First Published in 2007) . I won’t go into details as you can find those elsewhere. what I will present to you here is my overall impression: pluses and minuses: Upon opening box Bible is thinner than I imagined but not nearly as thin as a “thinline” Bible. Perfect for holding or carrying. Rich looking deeply grained (embossed) leather. Gold page edges very consistent with no bare spots and thicker than more expensive Cambridge Bibles I’ve owned (even better than goatskin edition). Lies flat although because the French Morocco is much stiffer than others may take a bit of breaking in for front cover to lie completely flat. (hint just turn over or massage the leather to achieve total flatness), Beautiful royal blue ribbon with a discrete nod to this rich blue to both headband and tailband). Clear text (8.25) on very nice thin opaque paper with a nice stiffness. Thin paper yet sturdier than most. Line matched which alleviates ghosting except the Psalms and Proverbs’ poetic style which lends itself to minimal ghosting. Because of bible’s smaller size the margins are rather narrow and text does barely start to roll into gutter but because of Smythe sewn binding bible easily rolls completely open. The Bible is not art gilded so there is no color to page edges when open although because the gold edges are so thick there is a bit of a copper effect so pages appear to almost have a light art gilding. Text is a small 8.25 but the font is clear and the printing bold for easy reading. Although I would prefer a slightly larger text and wider margins, both would demand a substantial increase to overall size of block, so this is not a problem. Printed & Bound in Italy by L.E.G.O.

   The Popular Text Version does not have summaries, history or outlines or even title pages before each book, which can begin mid-page with no introduction–just the Book title–as there are no separate title pages. This along with narrower margins, absence of any maps, references and the smaller font keeps this bible from being too big. The only negative for me would be the corners of liner which are cut rather than pinched at the corners (this was done I’m almost certain–not as cost saving or to cut corners (no pun intended)– but to prevent unsightly bumps to interior as well as exterior corners as when combined with this thicker leather I could see this as problem, hence the cut rather than pinched corners. This has a definite positive, as sometimes hand cut corners which are crimped, all too often can catch the rear or front pages causing creases or even tears to the delicate pages. There is a risk however of the exposed cut edges (which are glued down to fray or separate over time). I don’t see this as a problem though.
   Beautiful Premium Bible at an affordable price.

2. Rated 5 out of 5

   Jason Gardner – February 5, 2016

   *THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE 2011 REPRINT*

   Let’s begin with the binding. In comparison to other bibles I own, the French Morocco is definitely the least supple. That’s not to say it’s rough and not enjoyable—quite the opposite—it’s rather nice. In contrast to the others mentioned, French Morocco is grainier and coarser, but that doesn’t mean that it’s unappealing. Though not as soft as other premium leathers, French Morocco is still a quality skin and will likely endure as long as or longer than softer leathers. The appearance is nice, too. Though time and use has dulled it quite a bit, the aroma of French Morocco is like the others—a hearty, aromatic leather that I can still detect.

   Being a Cambridge bible, I anticipated a certain level of quality and, needless to say, these expectations were met. The overall craftsmanship of Cambridge bibles is first rate—there’s not corner cutting or shortcuts taken. This bible simply feels solid and that’s a plus for any bible that’s going to be used with any regularity. In terms of the bible’s features, it’s pretty much a bare bones package—front matter (table of contents, letter from the translators) and the biblical text, including Apocrypha—that’s it. There are no indexes, no maps—just the text. For some this may be disappointing, but not for me. Like many of you, I have more than enough bibles with plenty of additional material in them should I want to read text and have supplemental information at hand. So, when I get this bible out, it is typically only to read and/or check how this translation handled a particular question of syntax or the like. On that note, this bible’s size also adds to its functionality (it measures out at 8.5 x 5.5 in). Because it’s stripped of any superfluous extras, it’s a perfect size to carry along in your bag/backpack or to keep handy for reading or referencing (as I do). The text is printed on gilt-edged paper, which itself doesn’t allow text to bleed through as much as more inexpensive bibles, and the font is adequately sized (Lexicon 8.75) for reading without undue strain. There are footnotes throughout, though they take up minimal page space, and there are no cross references or other similar “helps”. Also, since this is the Anglicized version, British spellings are employed throughout.

   In sum, all you really need to know is that this is a Cambridge bible, so you can rightly assume that it is of the highest quality. As with my others from Cambridge, I fully expect this one to last at least my lifetime and beyond!

3. Rated 3 out of 5

   Michael Malpass – January 12, 2016

   OK, here is an update. It has been a few months since I wrote the previous review and to Cambridge’s credit they did replaced the bible as promised, with a little nudging. Just to let everyone know, Baker Books no longer handles bible returns for Cambridge in the USA. It seems that Cambridge has opened an office in NYC where I had to send my bible for “evaluation”. At first, they wanted me to return the bible to the place where I purchased it which would have been fine except I got it on the internet from a store in the UK. This presented a problem as it would have cost a nice bit to ship it back there without any guarantee of reimbursement. After going back and forth with some emails I was finally able to convince the nice lady that I was a good Cambridge customer (I have 7 Cambridge bibles of different translations) and she agreed to a “evaluation” but no promises. I had no doubt that when they saw what I was speaking of that they would send a replacement. It took a little over a month that included the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays but I received a new bible! However, after a couple of weeks of use I noticed the same problem with the air pockets starting again on the front cover. I have a Cambridge French Morocco KJV with never a hint of this type problem after many years of service. The only thing I can figure out is it must be a different manufacturing technique that causes the blistering. I am not going to return the bible this time as I can live with it. I really do love the feel and size of the bible and would recommend it if you are not a perfectionist. I will say the leather is much better quality and thicker than what Crossway uses when they say “Genuine Leather”. Their leather covers are really thin and don’t offer much protection which use to be the point in buying a leather cover book in the past.

4. Rated 3 out of 5

   Michael Malpass – October 14, 2015

   Unfortunately, I have to agree with the previous reviewer on those points. However, I do like the French Morocco leather cover, but it seems that air pockets have developed where the leather has separated from the inside cardboard only after a week since I got it. I only hope Baker Books will live up to it’s word, a guarantee, according to a slip of paper that ships with their high end bibles to replace it for faultly workmanship. The text could be larger but it is easier on the eyes than the Oxford NRSV.

5. Rated 2 out of 5

   william ziegler – June 9, 2014

   Plain old standard cheap cover. Text is small. Even smaller notes on the bottom. Has a glossary in the back. Price too high for item.