TNIV XL Rebound by LeatherBibles.com
When I reviewed the Allan's TNIV, I pointed out that readers of that translation have a hard time finding quality editions. There's the edition from Allan's, a couple from Cambridge (which are not available in North America due to market restrictions), and now the TNIV Reference Bible, which in spite of having a bonded leather cover does feature a Smyth-sewn binding. Jay Davis, a Salvation Army captain who reads this blog, decided to take matters into his own hands. He sent his XL edition of the TNIV to LeatherBibles.com to have it rebound. These photos reveal the result.
Above: The TNIV XL in a two-tone calfskin cover by LeatherBibles.com.
I was impressed when I saw that cover. If you recall, Scott Kay had his Greek NT rebound by LeatherBibles.com, and the results were impressive. The same thing applies here. Take a look at the grain on that cover. The two-tone look wouldn't appeal to me ordinarily, but here it's executed in a very attractive way. Jay reports that it's very flexible and supple.
Above: The cover is quite limp.
Of course, one of the challenges when you rebind a Bible is that no matter how good the cover is, you can't change the insides. In this case, the TNIV XL has a glued binding. I wouldn't ordinarily recommend having a glued edition rebound -- but I did it with my ESV Thinline because at the time there was no choice. Jay's dilemma was similar. He liked the format of the XL, and it was only available with an adhesive binding.
He posted a review of the XL at Amazon that emphasizes both the pros and cons:
"The binding is glued, not sewn. This edition is "larger print," only slightly larger than the standard edition. The print formatting is great, the print is maybe 10.5 pica. The word and sentence spacing is very good. "My biggest complaint with Zondervan and other Bibles is the marginal paper quality. Being a Thinline edition, paper quality is bleed-through and shadowing. In this edition you will find shadowing, which may detract from the enjoyment of reading. I personally like the font size and two columns. For me at age 51 it is what I like. It seems ridiculously hard to find good Bible with good paper."
Above: Inside the XL.
Below: The spine.
Thanks for sharing the results of your rebinding project, Jay!
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.