NLT Art of Life Holy Bible
A coffee table Bible filled with hundreds of beautiful illustrations.
I had barely even opened the Art of Life Holy Bible when I started walking towards my wife’s office.
“You’re going to want to see this,” I said as I walked in.
Becca turned towards me (probably thinking that I was going to be doing something silly, because that’s what I usually do when I interrupt her), but when she saw what I was holding, her eyes lit up. She ripped the Bible from my hands and started flipping through it. “This is beautiful,” she exclaimed.
It really is.
The Art of Life Holy Bible is a very special Bible unlike any I’ve ever seen before.
Becca joined me for the review this week, so you’ll definitely want to check out the following video, and keep scrolling to read my written review and see photos.
NLT Art of Life Holy Bible – Overview
If you’ve read my reviews before, you know I’m a big fan of 2K/Denmark, the graphic design firm behind all of the Comfort Print fonts for Thomas Nelson and Zondervan, as well as the typesetting designs of the Cambridge Topaz and the Schuyler Quentel. The NLT Art of Life Holy Bible is the latest idea from 2K/Denmark. Produced in partnership with Tyndale, it’s part coffee table book, part visual Bible, and completely stunning. Here’s the official description from Tyndale’s website:
NLT Art of Life Holy Bible from 2K/Denmark is an innovative idea that makes the Bible accessible and fits the New Living Translation well. It effectively combines the characteristics of an easy-to-read Bible with the visual nature of a wide-margin Bible, and it offers journaling and artistic expression opportunities for readers.
NLT Art of Life Holy Bible features 450 original hand-drawn illustrations in a unique style that encourages contemplation and visual interaction with the Word. The illustrations relate the Word of God directly to the world of God drawing visual relevance of the Bible to our world. Each illustration is accompanied by a brief caption connecting the illustration to the Bible. The pacing of the illustrations and variations (from full-page to column-wide to margin-size) will offer visual relief and interest, resulting in a Bible that users will want to leave open much like a coffee-table book. This delightful new edition to the NLT lineup will appeal to a segment of the market that is looking for something fresh in their Bible-reading experience.
FEATURES
• 10pt type size
• 9.75” x 9” trim size
• 1.75” thick
• 450 hand-drawn illustrations
• Index to Illustrations
• Lined Note Paper
Bold and Beautiful
The first thing that stands out about the Art of Life Holy Bible is the teal cover. It’s a bold choice, and it looks fantastic. That same color is used throughout the Bible as an accent color on the pages as well as the ribbon marker. It’s a large enough book (9.75” x 9” x 1.75”) that it probably needs to be read on a flat surface, and I imagine this Bible will find a home on many coffee tables. It’s a statement piece that will certainly draw the attention of guests.
2K/Denmark commissioned an artist from Latvia named Dina Danosa to create each of the 450 illustrations by hand using mostly Staedtler 0.1 and 0.5 Radiograph pens. There are three main categories of illustrations: people, plants, and animals. There are also a handful of two-page panoramic illustrations. It took Dina more than four years to complete this project, and it is difficult to capture the beauty of these illustrations with words. They are so intricate and complex that the longer you stare at them, the more they seem to come to life. As noted above, each illustration is accompanied by a brief caption connecting the illustration to the Bible, and this creates a truly unique Bible-reading experience.
I suppose it’s worth noting that the text of Scripture is a 10pt font created by 2K/Denmark called “Bible Serif.” It’s beautifully formatted on the large pages with plenty of space to breathe, and they even included the NLT translation footnotes at the bottom of each page.
Bottom Line
Becca and I have collected a few pieces of art in recent years. Nothing extravagant, but when we find something that speaks to us and sparks a little bit of joy, we love finding a place for it in our home.
The NLT Art of Life Holy Bible is a piece of art, and when I think about how much thought and time and talent when into its creation, it seems almost offensive to say that I’m going to love having it on my coffee table. But I suppose the best use of any piece of art is for it to be enjoyed, and we will certainly love having this Bible as the latest piece in our art collection. If what you’ve seen in this review speaks to you, then you should definitely consider getting a copy for yourself.
Keep scrolling for links to where you can purchase the Abide Bible.
BUYING THIS BIBLE
• Tyndale – $45
• ChristianBook.com – $46
• Amazon – $49
*Pricing and Availability subject to change.
