Personal Size Reference ESV to Feature Single-Column Text
A couple of years ago, I posted a mock-up of what a single-column, paragraphed, referenced edition of the ESV Bible might look like. Today, there's no need for mock-ups because we have a preview of the real thing. At long last, Crossway has announced the Personal Size Reference Bible, which will be available in early 2008.
I'm excited about this because for years now, I've been stumping for a hand-sized, paragraphed, single-column setting, and the Personal Size Reference is all those things. It measures 5" x 7.25", which makes it a little handier than the 5.5" x 8.5" of the Classic Reference and the Classic Thinline, but is a bit larger than the 3.75" x 5.75" of the Compact Thinline, which many people find a bit too small. The Compact Thinline has 6.2-pt. type, which makes it hard to read in lower light -- I sometimes have to bring mine up to my face to make out the words -- whereas the new Personal Size Reference has 7.4-pt. type. It appears to be set in Veritas, the new font introduced along with the Outreach Edition early last year, which is designed to be "readable at smaller sizes than some other fonts." (Update: My eyes deceived me on this one, as I'm reliably informed that the typeface is Stone Serif.)
A PDF of the first few chapters of Matthew is online so you can try out the Personal Size Reference for yourself.
In the past, Crossway has used successful layouts to create several different editions -- the Deluxe Reference is a "blown up" version of the Classic Reference, the Journaling Bible an enlarged Classic Thinline, etc. -- which means that the Personal Size Reference, if it catches on, may enjoy a similar influence. I'm thinking this setting would be splendid for a new Journaling Bible, for example, as it would add single-column layout and references on the one hand, and pick up a margin for notetaking on the other. Whatever the future holds, this is truly an exciting development and I am thrilled.
J. Mark Bertrand is a novelist and pastor whose writing on Bible design has helped spark a publishing revolution. Mark is the author of Rethinking Worldview: Learning to Think, Live, and Speak in This World (Crossway, 2007), as well as the novels Back on Murder, Pattern of Wounds, and Nothing to Hide—described as a “series worth getting attached to” (Christianity Today) by “a major crime fiction talent” (Weekly Standard) in the vein of Michael Connelly, Ian Rankin, and Henning Mankell.
Mark has a BA in English Literature from Union University, an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston, and an M.Div. from Heidelberg Theological Seminary. Through his influential Bible Design Blog, Mark has championed a new generation of readable Bibles. He is a founding member of the steering committee of the Society of Bible Craftsmanship, and chairs the Society’s Award Committee. His work was featured in the November 2021 issue of FaithLife’s Bible Study Magazine.
Mark also serves on the board of Worldview Academy, where he has been a member of the faculty of theology since 2003. Since 2017, he has been an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America. He and his wife Laurie life in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.