The King James Version of the Bible is celebrating its 400th anniversary this year and many publishers are offering special anniversary editions. Most are either study Bibles in fancy covers or reprints of the original 1611 edition. Local Church Bible Publishers has made a bold move in offering the most unique and useful 400th anniversary edition available. And this one happens to be a numbered limited edition- there will only 1611 copies printed. If you want to know where number 127 is… well, that one is mine :0)
Features
Features include a short history of the Bible in English, Translators to the Reader, book introductions, headings in the text, an index, a dictionary of proper names, a subject index, a 161 page concordance, 13 pages for notes, seven maps, a section introductions (Pentateuch, poetry, prophets, etc.), and a lambskin cover. It’s 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.75 inches with a .5 inch margin all around, and has 2 black ribbons.
Cover
LCBP has made well use of symbolism in choosing lambskin for the cover of the 400th edition. The cover is the softest Bible cover I own. I’ve bent it all out of shape and it returns to its natural beauty without a complaint. It’s a joy to hold. The standard Church Publishers construction that we all expect is here. In fact, their construction quality is to a much higher standard than most Bible publishers- employing techniques that will ensure this Bible will last a lifetime. It is Smyth sewn and leather-lined to the edge with fine stitching. It is ‘dry stamped’, meaning that it has no color in the words stamped into the spine. I don’t normally do yoga with my Bibles, but this one was begging for it!
Text
The text is an 8.5 point font that looks semi-bold. The text is the same as their Classic Study Bible with Scofield notes, only without the notes and references. The spaces are left empty where references and notes would appear. The headings in the text, the book introductions, the reference keys, the verse numbers at the top of each page, and the dates are intact. This encourages the idea of making your own study Bible. I would like to see more Bibles with places to write. LCBP have done well by giving you some writing space, allowing you to make this Bible truly yours instead of having someone else’s notes. Bibles with notes are great, but Bibles that give you the space to write your own notes are better.
Paper
The paper feels like India paper. It has a faint ghosting, which is to be expected and is standard for a Bible this size. There are 13 blank pages in the back for writing notes.
Concordance
They’ve kept the 162 page concordance from the Classic Study Bible with C.I. Scofield notes. This concordance is better than most, having 81 entries for God.
Maps
The standard LCBP maps are here. There are seven total.
Here are some comparisons to LCBPs Note Takers:
Conclusion
I applaud Local Church Bible Publishers for the 400th Anniversary Edition. They truly have made a bold move with this Bible. They have made it a limited numbered edition and then encourage you to write in it. It’s a special limited edition with the purpose of making your own study Bible. The absence of notes leaves blank spots on many pages. These blank spots say ‘write something here’ to its owner. The center column is blank. This blank area tells its owner ‘make your own references’. The text itself still retains the links to the references. Normally it would be considered a crazy thought to have links to references that don’t exist but they do exist- you just haven’t written them yet. This format encourages the empty spaces to be filled in. This Bible encourages you to study the Bible. This is a great limited edition study Bible. It isn’t just meant to be owned; it’s meant to be used.
The 400th Anniversary Edition is available from Local Church Bible Publishers website here:
http://www.localchurchbiblepublishers.com/2011/06/anniversary-edition-dry-stamped/
Local Church Bible Publishers provided this Bible free for review. I was not required to give a positive review- only an honest review.
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