Small Wonder
My quest to find the perfect small Bible continues with the NLT Cambridge Pitt Minion.
If you read my last review of the ESV Heirloom Single Column Personal Size Bible from Crossway, you learned that I have launched out on a quest to find the perfect small Bible. I quickly realized that there are a zillion small Bibles out there, so I decided that for these first few blogs I would focus on a handful of high-quality (“premium”) small Bibles. Not only does that narrow things down quite a bit, but it also allows me to explore the world of Bibles that are expertly designed and finely crafted.
With these new parameters in place, I started to do some research, and one of the first Bibles that popped up on my radar was a little guy called the Pitt Minion that is published by Cambridge University Press. Within a couple of days, I found this lovely brown goatskin Pitt Minion in the New Living Translation (NLT) for sale locally. It was in perfect condition, so I scooped it up!
Pitt Minion – Overview
Cambridge has been printing Bibles for over 400 years (since 1591), and they are known for being one of the leading publishers of high-quality Bibles. The Pitt Minion is their smallest Bible, with a 4.5″ x 6.875″ trim size that is remarkably less than 1” thick. Despite this small size, the Pitt Minion is a reference edition Bible that comes jam-packed with comprehensive cross-references, a concordance, and a full set of 15 Cambridge maps. The widespread popularity of the Pitt Minion has led Cambridge to release it in several translations: ESV, NASB, NIV, KJV, NKJV, and NLT. The edition I am reviewing for this blog is the NLT Pitt Minion in brown goatskin.
FEATURES
• Smyth-sewn binding
• Art gilding
• Two ribbon markers
• India paper
• Cross-references
• Concordance
• 15 Full-color maps
• 4.5” x 6.875” trim size
• 6.75pt type size
• Less than 1” thick
Doing More With Less
What impresses me the most about the Pitt Minion is its page layout. There is so much to fit on each page, and Cambridge has managed to do it in a way that is both beautiful and functional. Take the cross-references, for example, which are located inside a center column defined by two vertical lines (see photo above). The references for the left column of biblical text appear at the top of the center column and are left-justified, while the references for the right column of biblical text are at the bottom of the center column and are right-justified. In addition to these cross-references, textual footnotes appear at the bottom of the right column of text on each page. This creates a simple yet efficient system that makes studying with this Bible extremely practical.
Of course, the elephant in the room here is that the Pitt Minion features a 6.75pt type size.
Yep… it’s really small.
If you want a small Bible that’s not super thick, you’ll have to settle for a small type size. With the Pitt Minion, Cambridge clearly chose to go with a small font in order to keep the Bible extremely small and include cross-references and a concordance. I am pleasantly surprised by how comfortable this Bible is to read, but I can’t help but wonder what a slightly thicker version with an 8pt type size would be like (if anyone from Cambridge reads this, you can have that idea for free if you call it the Tim Minion).
As far aesthetics go, everything about this edition is understated, which I appreciate. It’s a premium Bible that’s not trying to show off. The brown goatskin is pretty firm (probably due to the paste-down liner), but the feel and texture are great. The red-under-gold art gilding on the pages is subtle and even. And thanks to its Smyth-sewn binding, the Pitt Minion lays extremely flat right away.
As you can see, the Pitt Minion is significantly smaller than Crossway’s ESV Heirloom Single Column Personal Size Bible that I recently reviewed.
We Have A Contender
Not only is this Bible small, but it comes fully loaded. And the fact that you can get it in a wide range of translations is a huge bonus. My quest to find the perfect small Bible is just getting started, but the Cambridge Pitt Minion may have jumped out to an early lead.
About Tim Wildsmith: “I’m a pastor, writer, and musician from Nashville, where I live with my wife, Becca. I have always loved a Bible that is beautifully designed, well-crafted, and practical, and I’m convinced that finding a Bible you love and enjoy reading will make you want to spend more time with it.” Click here to read the full bio.
