Oxford Bibles, circa 1955
In December 1955, Life magazine devoted a special issue to Christianity. It included an advertisement for Oxford Bibles, which I've reproduced below. The headline reads: "Since 1675 ... in Bibles one name has signified the finest craftsmanship, the highest quality, the extra care that distinguishes the best. Oxford. America's Gift Bible. Since 1675."Three editions of the KJV are highlighted. First, there's the 01467x Morocco, Ultrathin Oxford India Paper, 4 1/4 x 6 3/8 x 7/8", with a choice of five colors, retailing for $13.00. Black is shown. The more upscale 01530x hardback is bound in Polished Morocco with Ultrathin Oxford India Paper and measures 5 x 7 1/4 x 3/4", available in three colors for $16.50. The edition illustrated in the ad seems to be brown with gilt details. Finally, there's the 01558x Persian with Ultrathin Oxford India Paper, measuring 5 1/2 x 7 1/4 x 1 1/8", with two ribbons. This one is also available in three colors -- the one in the ad seems to be red.
At the bottom of the ad: "More than 200 styles priced from $2.15 to $265.00." Intrigued? I am.
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.