Cambridge NRSV Reference Edition with Apocrypha

Dec 3

Is the burgundy goatskin edition of this Bible even better than my beloved brown cowhide edition?

In one of my earliest reviews on Bible Review Blog, I raved about Cambridge’s NRSV Reference Edition in Brown Cowhide, which I purchased as a graduation gift to myself after using the NRSV New Oxford Annotated Bible throughout my time in seminary.

Cambridge makes two “premium” editions of this Bible: the brown cowhide as well as one in burgundy goatskin. I’ve never regretted my decision to go with the brown one, but I’ve always been a bit curious about the burgundy one, so when a friend offered to trade me his burgundy goatskin edition for another Bible I had two copies of, I jumped at the chance to see how these two Bibles stacked up.

Cambridge NRSV Reference Edition w/ Apocrypha – Overview

Once again, I found myself incredibly impressed when this Bible arrived. Based on many of the photos I saw online, I was a bit worried that it would be too red for my liking, but the color of the cover is actually very warm and appealing. It has that same balance between rugged and delicate that I love so much about the brown cowhide edition, and these two Bibles actually compliment one another quite well.

Other than a few aesthetic touches (more on that in a moment), the biggest difference between these two Bibles is the material of the covers. The goatskin is not as soft and smooth as the cowhide, but it’s still very floppy. One of the things I’ve noticed about the brown cowhide edition is that it’s more susceptible to little bumps and bruises than my goatskin Bibles (the same is true for my Schuyler Marbled Mahogany Calfskin ESV Quentel). I tell myself to be careful when I’m using the brown cowhide NRSV Reference Edition, but I don’t feel like I need to do that as much with this burgundy goatskin copy.

Once inside, the only difference between this Bible and the brown one is that it contains the Apocrypha. Everything else is identical. It features a traditional, two-column page layout with cross-references in the center and textual footnotes at the bottom of the page. The typography of the main text is just a hair under 9pt in a serif font called Swift that is well spaced and line matched on opaque paper, creating a very comfortable reading experience. The back of the Bible contains a glossary and set of Cambridge’s full-color maps.

FEATURES
• 9pt type size
• 6.125” x 8.25” trim size
• 1.875” thick
• Edge-lined goatskin cover
• Smyth-sewn binding
• Art gilding
• Two ribbon markers
• Line Matching
• Cross-references
• Glossary
• Full-Color Maps

A Cambridge-Allan Hybrid

One of the first things I noticed when I took this Bible out of the box was the tooled hubs on the spine, which are different than the raised ribs on the brown edition. “Hmmm,” I thought. “That look has a little bit of an R.L. Allan feel to it.” Then I flipped the Bible open and noticed the intricate corner work on the inside cover, which is another trait Allan’s are known for.

I assumed this Bible was bound in Italy by L.E.G.O., just like the brown cowhide edition. Sure enough, it says “Printed and bound in Italy by L.E.G.O. S.p.A., Vicenza” on the copyright page. But then I flipped over to the inside back cover and found something interesting stamped into the liner: “Hand Bound in Goatskin by Ludlow Binders.”

All of a sudden, it made sense.

These NRSV Reference Edition text blocks were, in fact, printed in Italy at L.E.G.O., but Cambridge had the burgundy goatskin copies bound by Ludlow Bookbinders, an English company that also does quite a bit of binding for R.L. Allan. The binding style gives this Cambridge Bible a very “Allan-esque” look and feel, and I think it’s quite nice. Just like the brown cowhide edition, this Bible feels very unique next to anything else that Cambridge has to offer.

Two Is Better Than One

I would be in big trouble if you told me I could only keep one of these Bibles. The brown cowhide edition is special to me, but this burgundy goatskin edition has impressed me very much. In a world where high-quality editions of the NRSV are few and far between, it’s quite remarkable that Cambridge has two fantastic options for you to choose from.

My plan is to hang onto both of them for now and see which one I reach for more often.

Let me know in the comments below which one you would choose!