Glimpse: Holman Legacy KJV
Another out-of-print gem: the Holman Legacy KJV. It's a Holman UltraThin Large Print Reference Bible bound in black, hand-finished morocco with a leather lining. The measurements are 6.75 x 9.5 x .8 inches, making it slightly wider and an inch taller than a Thinline ESV. It has two ribbons, generous in length. Did I mention it's kind of flexible?
These aren't listed on the Holman site, but the Legacy line lives on in the form of the Legacy CSB. According to the company:
Holman Legacy is a product line dedicated to the creation of only the finest handcrafted Bibles. Each Legacy edition features top grade papers, heirloom spine detailing, soft genuine leather, deluxe box for safekeeping, and a lifetime guarantee.
I haven't handled the CSB, but from the photos I've seen, I don't think the binding is as nice as this KJV. (The interior layout is another story.)
A personal anecdote. This was one of the first non-Cambridge 'nice' Bibles I ever purchased. I walked into a brick-and-mortar shop on the south side of Houston hunting from Cambridge goodness and one of the girls in the shop produced this in response to my query. A lot of salesmanship came along with it, and a few minutes later I was sitting in the car with this thing in the passenger seat gleaming back at me.
The only practical way to use a Bible this big in church was to fold the cover back. This halves the footprint and makes it handy -- and the limp cover is made for such 'abuse.' At the time, the thought of accidentally damaging a $100 (!) Bible meant that I only took it out on special occasions. I look back on that with irony. These days, I make a point of abusing Bibles in direct proportion to their price tag.
Since this appeared before the Nelson Signature line had made matte calfskin the norm, it has a glossy sheen. At the time, I didn't care for the shine, but now I rather like it. What do you think?
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.
