Kenton Steryous Shares His Stack

Kenton Steryous has taken a beautiful photo of some beautiful Bibles: Kenton Steryous 1

From top to bottom, here's a list of what's in the photo, along with Kenton's notes:

NKJV Nelson Signature Pocket in British Tan: As you can see, all of my Bibles are black with the exception of this one, and actually, I got this one for my wife. Once I find something I like, I usually stick with it, and this drives my wife crazy. So naturally she was quite taken with the British Tan. My only complaint with the British Tan is the rather drab nature of the calfskin finish. I actually wish the outside finish was closer to that of the inside lining which is also pictured below...it has a richer, deeper hue to it than the outside matte finish. But it's still very soft and supple.

KJV Nelson Signature Pocket: Same supple cover, but in a very handy and smaller size. This is a somewhat recent purchase, so time will tell how much I actually find myself using it.

KJV Nelson Signature UltraSlim: I think Mark reviewed this very Bible sometime ago, and so I won't add anything, but this is certainly a favorite because of its supple and extremely limp calfskin cover. The sloppiness of the gold imprinting is very common among the Signature Series Bibles, and one of the very few complaints I have with them.

NASB rebound by Mechling: I had this Bible rebound at the same time as the Scofield below, and everything I said above applies to this binding as well.

ESV Allan in Highland Goatskin: Everyone reading this blog is probably very familiar with Allan's ESV. Enough cannot be said about the quality of this binding. Mine is an earlier version with only one ribbon marker. The new tan version that Mark reviewed recently has me wanting to place another order...because of the nice tan color, but also for the simplicity of having a second ribbon marker.

KJV Scofield rebound by Mechling: I don't really use the Scofield anymore, but doesn't everyone have at least one? Or if you don't, your dad or grandfather certainly did. I had this Bible rebound by Mechling before they offered the 'Deluxe' version lined with leather. Mine was bound with goatskin lined with regular black paper over light board. And while the goatskin is superbly soft, there is no limpness or floppiness to it because of the paper lining. I'm interested to try Mechling's new 'Deluxe' method.

KJV Cambridge Cameo Wide Margin: For me, this is the perfect size wide margin Bible. The outside dimensions are 8.75" by 6.5". Small enough to readily take to church and pack away for travel, yet large enough to provide ample margins on the side and bottom for personal notes. The sewn binding is typical Cambridge, with the pages turning smooth and laying very flat. The calfskin cover leaves a little to be desired, however. I understand that Cambridge calfskin can vary from cover to cover. I happened to get one that is very thin and somewhat stiff. This would be without question my dream come true wide margin Bible if it had a softer, more limp cover.

Kenton Steryous 2

Thanks for letting us take a look, Kenton!

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.