Welcome, New Readers!
Traffic doubled last week during my frenzy of reviewing, so I want to welcome new readers and let everyone know that there's more good stuff on the way. In the meantime, a couple of photos:
Above: The Personal Size Reference ESV with Black TruTone cover.
I've been using the Personal Size Reference ESV for daily reading since it arrived, and it just gets better and better. The TruTone feels great in the hand, and this form factor is perfect for reading. I'm getting used to the ration of type-size to column width. I'd prefer the type to be larger, but this is perfectly usable and I can appreciate the trade-offs involved in achieving a compact edition like this.
Above: Oxford's combined NRSV and Book of Common Prayer.
I've also been experimenting with a new camera lens, a 50 mm prime that I have to manual focus. The image above isn't tack-sharp, but I'm getting the hang of it. You'll be seeing more of the results in future reviews.
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.