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Above: The new Allan ESV Reader's Edition.  This Edition comes in Dark Brown (shown above) as well as black and tan.  evangelicalbible.com has a page devoted to this edition.

Allan ESV READER Page.

Allan KJV Longprimer Page.

Allan Navigation Page (Simplification of Allan Bibles)

Cambridge Navigation Page (Survey of Cambridge Bibles)

Direct Links to Rankings and Recommendations

Crossway ESV Bibles

Cambridge Bibles (ESV, NASB, NKJV, KJV, NLT)

R.L. Allan Bibles (ESV, KJV, NASB, NIV)

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We stock every ESV Bible edition, including the British R.L. Allan editions and Cambridge Bibles.  We also stock the best of the NKJV, KJV, NASB & NIV. The product information below is important because all Bibles are not created equal!  Our goal is to provide you with sufficient information to make a well informed choice before you purchase a Bible. The goal of this page is to align you with the Bible that best meets your individual needs in a Bible. Obviously there are many choices that are strictly of personal preference: i.e., the color of your Bible for example. Please pay particular attention to the "legibility" of the given edition as well as the paper quality, especially if you plan to write in your Bible.  The single most important factor in the longevity of a Bible is its binding.  In this regard the maxim, "you get what you pay for" holds true.  Quality in Bible binding is often a function of the binding process as well as the materials used.  Price increases in proportion to the binding process and materials used.

Bible Cost: What's the Difference?

Evangelicalbible.com stocks a wide range of Bibles.  We carry paperback Bibles used in evangelism which cost $2.00 and Goatskin Bibles that can reach $200.00.  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 most Christians use their Bibles considerably more than other books.  If a book is read 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. 

Durability:

Evangelicalbible.com is proud to have some of the best crafted Bibles in the world, first, because of their durability.  Allan, Cambridge and a selection of other premium Bibles are more durable than others.  One of the most important inputs into durabilty is the binding method.  Higher quality Bibles have the sheets sewn in groups.  Other Bibles use a glue adhesive which is less durable.   The 'Smith 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 their Bibles are put to daily use, and often contain personal notes.  Bibles become highly personal.   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.

Legibiltiy and Binding

Another important aspect of sewn binding is legibilty.  Sewn books generally lie flat when opened.  This is important when trying to see the words nearest the middle of the Bible (gutter).  Other bindings leave words falling into the gutter..(that sounds terrible!)

Shell (Cover)

We offer a wide variety of Bible 'shells.' First, leather shells are more durable than paper or hardback shells.  Again, if you are one who plans on studying your Bible on a daily basis, and often transporting it to different locations, durability is an important consideration.  Almost all leather shells 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 flexibilty, that is they open and roll into virtually any position.  (This is a point Bible Binding Expert, Mark Bertand often makes)  Again, the softer leather Bibles translate into higher costs.

Finally, there are some Allan Shells that actually cover the end of the pages.  This is called a 'full yapp' cover.  The extra leather acts as a Bible case and serves to protect the Bible.

Aesthetics

Finally, Bible cost is also a function of aesthetics-the way it looks and feels.  Premium Bibles often put a premium on detail and aesthetics.  Here is a example.  Have you every owned a Bible whose gold edges faded after a year?  For some, this is a detail that is inconsequential.  Allan and Cambrdige Bibles' 'gold' for example will not fade for many years because they use the 'old school' technique of injecting a red dye into the pages and then 'burning' a gold foil onto the surface.  This is a labor intensive technique that of course increases cost.

Other Factors

This aricle is not comprehensive, but simply introduces a variety of factors that determine cost.  Other factors that determine cost will include: concordances, index, color maps, ribbon markers, paper quality, double stitching, to name a few more.

Please contact us for any further product information.  You can also receive invaluable information on our Facebook page.

Trade-Offs.

Every edition is the product of certain trade-offs.  All editions have their respective strengths and weaknesses.  Here is an example: A thinline Bible.  The purpose of this Bible, in part, is to be compact.  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 for note taking.  With such specifications it would be difficult to include Large Print.  With a Large Print Wide Margin Bible-you may need a 3 inch spine and a 7 pound Bible!  The same would hold true for a Study Bible-with space devoted to study notes-you're not going to have adequate room for wide margins or large print.  The ESV Study Bible is already approximately 4.5 pounds-with 9 point font...imaging 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 strengths and weaknesses.  Each person needs to focus on which criteria are vital to them.  No single Bible receives top marks in each category.

Codex Sinaiticus, a manuscript of the Christian Bible written in the middle of the fourth century, contains the earliest complete copy of the Christian New Testament. The hand-written text is in Greek. The New Testament appears in the original vernacular language (koine) and the Old Testament in the version, known as the Septuagint, that was adopted by early Greek-speaking Christians.

It is the only uncial manuscript with the complete text of the New Testament, and the only ancient manuscript of the New Testament written in four columns per page which has survived to the present day. Only 300 years away from the original manuscripts of the New Testament, it is highly important and considered a very accurate copy as opposed to most of the later copies, "preserving obviously superior readings where the great mass of later manuscripts is in error".

Now the entire codex is digitized and can be searced online.  One can see the actual parchement, a greek transcription and a translation. 

Visit codexsinaiticus.

For a complete listing of NEW products, please go to our NEW products page.

Leather Bibles (not including NT only)  come with a Lifetime warranty from the publisher for manufacturing defects of normal use.  In case of such a defect or product failure please contact Crossway or Cambridge directly.

Font Size: Click on the ESV Bible edition to get an idea of the font size.

Classic Reference Bible, Classic Thinline Bible, Daily Reading Bible, Gift and Award Bible, Journaling Bible,

Large Print Bibles, Literary Study Bible, Outreach Bible, Personal Size Reference Bible, Pocket NT,

Interlinear Bible,Single Column Reference, Spanish Bilingual, Wide Margin Bible,

ESV Bible Rankings: All rankings are A (excellent) B (good) C (average) D (below average) F (fail)

Keep in mind that smaller Bibles are not going to be as easy to read as larger ones, similarly thinline Bibles are not going to have the same quality of paper as standard Bibles.  Please note that font size is only 1 factor in the overall "readability" equation.  Format (spaces between letters an words), font boldness etc. all come into the equation.  For example, the pocket NT have only 7.0 font, but score well in the readability equation.

Allan Bibles below (The New Allan Personal Size Reference Bibles Below)

Allan Navigation Page (A page that helps you 'navigate' through the world of Allan Bibles)

Glossary of Terms

Highland Goatskin

Highland Goatskin vs. Mid Grain, Calfskin, French Morocco etc.  Highland Goatskin (Allan) as well as most Cambridge Goatskins are unique in that the binding is exactly what comes off the goat. The grain on the Bible is exactly the grain you would have seen on the beast. All other grains have been manipulated in some capacity, usually by pressing the skin into a mold.  Thus, in some sense all other leather grain patterns are artificial.   Highland Goatskin is 100% natural and therefore will sport unique and original markings. Allan and Cambridge choose the best skins, however, there will be markings that may represent a brief encounter with a barbed wire fence etc..Please note that this is in a sense proof of its authenticity and uniqueness-not a defect.

Goatskin
A beautiful and very durable top-quality, natural grain leather. Strong yet supple, it is used for the finest bindings. Traditionally known as Morocco leather.
Calfskin leather
A traditional high-quality leather used in fine bindings. It is long-lasting and its suppleness increases with use. Cambridge calfskin bindings use only top-grain leather.
French Morocco leather
Leather taken from a split calfskin, slightly thinner than other grades and therefore flexible and soft even when new. A French Morocco binding offers high-quality real leather at an economical price.
 Berkshire leather
A term for pigskin — the material most commonly used in bookbinding when 'genuine leather' is the description used.
Art-gilt edges
A decorative finish to the page edges in which a red dye and gilt foil combine to add richness and lustre to the finished volume.

Yapp/Semi Yapp

A bookbinding having soft edges that project beyond and fold over the edges of the pages to protect them.  Many of the R.L. Allan Bibles have either full Yapp or semi Yapp edges.
Bible paper
Thicker than India paper, but still much thinner than common book papers.
Gilt edges
A decorative finishing style in which a gold-coloured metallic foil is applied to the edges of the pages after they have been cut and rubbed smooth. Silver foil is often applied to the page edges of volumes bound in white. See also art-gilt edges.
Gilt line
A plain gold line or 'frame' on the inside covers.
India paper
The paper traditionally used for the best quality Bibles. The name is now generally used for papers that weigh less than 30 grammes per square metre ('20lb' paper in the USA.)
Reference Edition
A Bible that includes cross-references to guide the reader to other parts of the Bible where similar subjects are treated. Footnotes also give variant readings of the text. Reference editions often include a concordance, maps and other study material.
Text Edition
A Bible in which the text only is provided, without cross-references.
Thumb Index
Thumb indexed editions have semi-circular cuts made by hand in the outer margins of the pages. The abbreviated names of the books of the Bible are stamped on small tabs, which are firmly glued on to the first page of the individual books, to enable the reader to find the page quickly.
Pronunciation marks
Some Bible texts incorporate a phonetic system for indicating the way difficult names should be pronounced, showing the vowel sounds and stressed syllables, as in a dictionary. These volumes are sometimes called 'self-pronouncing'.

Italics Marks

Some Bible texts have italicized the words that are not a part of the orginial languages.

Overcasting

The technical word is 'overcasting' for the extra line of vertical stitching which is inserted at the middle of the first section and sometimes the middle of the last section to add strength to the binding.  A sign of expert binding.  This process used to be standard for Cambridge Bibles, however, it used almost exclusively with Allan Bibles.  Please do not mistake this for a defect.  Here is a picture

Smyth Sewn Binding

Smyth Sewn (also known as Section Sewn) book bindings are the highest quality book binding available on the market today. It is the hallmark of library quality, archival safe books because the pages are physically sewn into the book using binders thread and further reinforced with fabric backing and adhesive to create the most usable and durable books available.  Look closely at the binding where the pages meet the spine and you can see the folds of the page signatures. Open the book to the middle of a signature and you may be able to see the binding thread stitches. Smyth Sewn bindings use thread to sew through folded signatures of a book. Signatures are made by printing on large sheets and then folding into groups of pages, usually 16 or 24 at a time. Each signature is sewn individually with threads going through each page several times. The threads are then tied off. All of the signatures are likewise attached together with thread creating what is called the book block. The book block is further strengthened using flannel and adhesive on the spine.

Next to the ribbon band (red and yellow) are the "signatures" which are sewn together. All Allan Bibles are smyth sewn.

Goatskin & Calfskin Bibles: Realistic Expectations.

Our highest quality Bibles in terms of craftsmanship and quality are the premium leather calfskin and goatskin Bibles.  The prices of these Bibles are substantially higher than their genuine and bonded leather counterparts.  The higher prices are associated with their superior materials and individual craftsmanship.  The bindings are sewn, instead of glued.  The leather is actual grain leather, not leather that has been pressed into a mold.  The Allan Bibles have a red dye injected into the pages so the gold edges retain their gloss.  Gold foil is actually melted onto the pages.   In summary, you are purchasing an individually crafted work of art, not an assembly line mold.  Since each premium leather Bible is individually crafted, they also have individual character.  Each Bible is therefore unique.  Stitching can vary, red dye lines vary, gold luster varies, color and texture of leather and paper may vary-guaranteeing, in essence that your Bible is unique and individually crafted.  Your goatskin or calfskin Bible is a unique work of art.  There will be none other exactly similar. Let us provide a common example.  Highland Goatskin binding is available on our Allan as well as our Cambridge Bibles.  Every now and then a customer will contact us and report the existence of an alleged blemish on the shell.  The blemish usually amounts to an irregular line or circle, which doesn't follow the grain.  Answer: Highland Goatskin is the only leather binding which is not pressed into a mold.  All other Bibles are molded under heat and pressure to produce a uniform grain (like a waffle iron).  With Allan and some Cambridge Bibles what you have on your Bible is the actual hide of the goat that was wandering the hills of Nigeria.  If the goat rubbed against barbed wire or was bitten by a wasp or asp-these are retained on the leather.  These alleged blemishes actually attest to the authenticity of the Bible in question.   

Individually crafted Bibles are not perfect. The added expense associated with the binding and individual craftsmanship does not translate into perfection.  This is an unrealistic expectation.  Not every page will be 100% uniform.  Margins can vary by a millimeter or two.  Pages may be smoother or slightly more opaque.  Ink intensity can vary.  Slight page creases may exist.  With most Bibles having about 1500 pages, you can expect a few variations along the way.   These differences testify to each Bible's unique character. There are of course rare occasions, when we do have a certain defect: ie. a loose page, a tear in binding, smeared ink etc.- and in these cases we want to replace the defect as soon as is convenient.  In sum, our premium Bibles are individually crafted.  They make use of the best materials.  They have the highest quality standard and controls.  They will never, however, attain the mark of symmetrical perfection.  Expect to purchase a high quality Bible-don't expect a perfect one! 

R.L. Allan Bibles- All of our Allan Bibles are Goatskin or French Morocco.  

Please read these tables carefully.  First, please note that all Allan Bibles get an "A" for binding.  This decision has not been taken lightly.  The care that has been taken in choosing quality grain skins as well as attention to detail in actual craftsmanship, give Allan Bibles the deserved reputation of being the "best bound Bibles in the world."  Second, you will notice that not all Allan Bibles get perfect scores for legibility or paper quality.  The main reason for this is that Bible size is always a trade off with font size and paper quality.  Therefore when a person purchases an Allan 103 (Ruby)- he is purchasing a Bible, at least in part, for its portability. The Ruby's relatively compact nature necessarily renders a Bible with smaller font than the Allan 53 which is nearly twice its size. Similarly, paper quality (density) will decrease in proportion to the size of the Bible.  More dense paper will produce a larger Bible....So when you see that the CC1 has a legibility grade of "C"-that is because you are purchasing a Bible that can fit in your coat pocket!  In short, all of our Allan goatskin Bibles are excellent, however, please choose the Bible that best fits your individual needs.  These principles, of course apply to all of our Bibles.

Differences Between the Oxford Blackface and Oxford Clarendon families:

First, their bindings are exactly similar.  They are bound by R.L. Allan publishers in French Morocco, and Goatskin.  The differences come in the Oxford text blocks.  The Blackface is a bit more bold (ie "Black face") and has a cyclopedic concordance and contains pronunciation symbols.  The Clarendon family doesn't have the pronunciation symbols.  Please see which individual Bibles within the 2 families have a cyclopedic concordance or the dictionary of proper names, subject index and concordance.  Both are similar in size-both have full yapp shells with the Highland Goatskin.

  self pronunciation marks.

Differences in Highland Goatskin, Mid Grain Goatskin and French Morocco.

1.  Texture-Each leather has a different texture of "feel."  The French Morocco has a larger grain than the highland goatskin.  Hopefully our pictures can help provide an idea here.

2.  Flexibility-This is the most marked difference.  Highland Goatskin comes as flexible as butter.  Second place goes to French Morocco leather and then midgrain goatskin-both of which will become more flexible over time.  French Morocco leather will start a bit more firm, but will eventually have a similar flexibility to Highland Goatskin.  It is also well known for its durability.

3.  Longevity-under normal use all should last a lifetime.

Comparing the Allan Blackface with the Cambridge Pitt Minion. (Pictures here)

1.  Size: Virtually equal.  Allan may be 1/4 inch thicker.

2.  Legibility: Allan wins here.  The typeface is bolder, larger, and there is more room between letters.

3.  Ribbon Markers: Allan: 2; Cambridge 1.

4.  Paper quality: similar.

5.  Sewn binding: both are sewn.

6.  Binding Shell. The French Morocco bindings seem virtually identical.  The Goatskin bindings are substantially different.  This is where Allan excels.  Allan's Goatskin's always give the impression that you have a product that is both well used an brand new. Allan Goatskin melts into your hand the pungent goatskin leather fills the room.  Cambridge's goatskins are also a piece of art...but they appear a bit more firm...

7.  Words of Christ in Red: Allan- No.  Cambridge-depends.

8.  Study Helps.  Allan: Cyclopedic Concordance and Oxford Maps.  Cambride-Concordance & Moody Maps.

Cambridge Bibles-Goatskins and French Morocco

Please read the introduction to the Allan Bibles above.  The Pitt Minions have a B/C for legibility because the 66 books of the Bible are being compressed into a relatively small area.  Also-in regards to the Wide Margin Bibles-legibility is somewhat decreased (although still very adequate) because a large area is devoted to note taking (wide margins).  Again-these charts should show that Allan and Cambridge Bibles are both excellent.  The charts should help match you with the Bible that best fits your individual needs.

Cambridge Bibles have excellent companions!

The following Bible correspond in pagination: Pitt Minion Reference corresponds in pagination with Wide Margin Reference Bibles.The Personal Concord Reference corresponds in pagination with the Concord Reference Bible.

What does this mean? Here is an example:
Cambrige Wide Margin ESV: Page 840: begins with Mark 11:11 and ends with Mark 12:11. Now the exact same is true for the Pitt Minion ESV. This of course holds true for corresponding NASB's, NKJV's, KJV's, etc.

As mentioned above the same pagination is true for the personal size concord and concord reference Bibles.

This makes these Bibles superb companions for those who want both a personal size Bible as well as a standard size Bible or Wide Margin Bible.

Cambridge Wide Margin Goatskin vs. Oxford Wide Margin Marrakesh Calfskin.  Pictures of both Bibles

In Search of a Premium Leather Bible with the Words of Christ in RED.

One of the most common questions that we receive at evangelicalbible.com is which Premium Leather Bibles have the words of Christ in RED.  The words of Christ in Red is of course a 20th Century phenomenon-albeit extremely popular.  Keep in mind that Red Letter slightly decreases legibility.  Below is a chart which shows which premium editions have the words of Christ in Red.

R.L. Allan:Currently there are none that exist.

Cambridge:

Crossway: