Frost Leather NRSV Rebind
A closer look at this custom rebind in river grain goatskin from Frost Leather.
I recently made an unboxing video where I opened two new custom Bible rebinds that arrived at my house on the same day. I’ve already done a full review of one of the Bibles, a Cambridge NLT Pitt Minion rebound by AE Bibles, and now it’s time to take a closer look at the other, a Frost Leather rebind of the Cambridge NRSV Popular Text Edition.
Frost Leather is the work of Jeremiah Page, who I first came across several months ago when he posted a few photos of his Bible rebinds on Facebook. They looked great, and had a classic style that reminded me of my favorite Bibles from R.L. Allan.
I am an unashamed super fan of R.L. Allan, and the thing I love the most about them is their aesthetic look and feel. That said, some of the text blocks Allan uses are just okay, so I often find myself daydreaming about an Allan version of one of my favorite text blocks from another publisher. And with Frost Leather, those daydreams can become reality. I love the typesetting of the NRSV Popular Text Edition from Cambridge, but they’ve yet to produce it in a binding that really shines.
But thanks to Frost Leather, I now have the best of both worlds.
Frost Leather Bibles – NRSV Popular Text Edition – Overview
The most noticeable feature of any rebind is going to be the cover, and the leather of choice for Frost Leather is Siegel River Grain Goatskin. “I haven’t found a better leather,” says Jeremiah. “It maintains a thin profile, yet is not too soft or too stiff, and it breaks in well either by hand or by use.” As you’ll see in the photos below, this leather has a very lovely grain pattern, but it also has a smoothness and shine to it. It feels sturdy and soft at the same time, which is great balance to have in a Bible cover.
The overall look and feel of the rebind is simple and clean, inspired by the classic Oxford style. I absolutely love the raised spine hubs on this Bible (something you don’t get from Allan), and the lettering on the spine is gorgeous (I’m not sure what typeface Jeremiah used for “New Revised Standard Version” and “Cambridge,” but it reminds me a little bit of Lord of the Rings).
While the cover and these aesthetic touches are what you’ll notice first, perhaps the more important aspect of a rebind project is the craftsmanship. Jeremiah started out making leather bags, and he told me that it took several years for him to learn the difficult process of book binding in order get his rebind work to an acceptable level. The Bible I hold in my hands is evidence that this hard work paid off. Other than some fading of the interior gild line, the construction quality is solid. The corner work and perimeter tooled lines looks great, and the edge-lined construction is spot on.
FEATURES
• Black River Grain Goatskin cover with semi-yapp
• Raised spine hubs
• Calfskin or Sheepskin liner, Edge-Lined
• Double perimeter tooled lines
• Blue-under-Gold Art Gilding
• White head and tail bands
• Blue Double Faced Satin Ribbons
• Custom Spine stamping
• Cardstock paper end sheets
Timeless
Jeremiah told me that the goal of Frost Leather is simple:
“Provide a rebound Bible that looks as if the cover is original, in a style that is timeless.”
In the case of this NRSV Popular Text Edition, he’s done exactly that. This is a great text block from Cambridge that has been leveled up with a beautiful new binding that looks like it was always made to be this way. It has quickly become one of my go-to Bibles.
REBIND YOUR BIBLE
If you’ve got a favorite Bible that could use an upgrade from Frost Leather, contact Jeremiah via Facebook or Instagram. You can also visit his website at www.frostleather.com.
