CommentaryJ. MARK BERTRAND45 Comments

More Notes from Summer: TruTone Longevity?

CommentaryJ. MARK BERTRAND45 Comments
This is not going to be a dystopian post, in which a supposedly wonderful innovation (like robot servants) turns into a nightmare (like robot masters). But over the summer I found myself wondering about the longevity of the new imitation leather. I've written glowingly in the past about the flexibility of polyurethane covers. They're more leatherish than pleatherish, and on the rare occasion manufacturers don't go crazy with the color combos, giving us yet another Frankenbible, I think they offer a very attractive alternative to real leather. 

The only downside, though, is that they don't seem to age well. Case in point:

IMG_0634

Above: Heat and polyurethane don't mix.

Forgive me for the cell phone picture. The ESV Slimline belongs to my friend Mike Schutt. We did a speaking engagement together, and while he talked, I did what any other self-respecting buddy would do ... I dug through his briefcase. Lo and behold, he was packing a Bible that looked like it had not quite survived an acid attack. Turns out it wasn't acid that did the damage; it was the sun.

I was kind of surprised. With that image in mind, I did a little experiment over the summer while teaching at Worldview Academy. Between lectures the classroom clears out, and students often leave their notebooks and Bibles behind. So I walked the aisles, checking to see how other polyurethane covers had fared. People who read Bible Design Blog might agonize over things like constructing protective slipcases to protect their Bibles, but high school students at summer camp rarely do. As a result, I spotted more than a few raggedy examples like Mike's. 

As I've written, there's nothing like a little neglect to bring out the best in a quality Bible. Unfortunately, this seems to be one place where the imitation and the real thing part ways. 

What's your experience been with the TruTones and NuTones and TuTones on the market? Have they aged well for you, or badly? Have you noticed any advantages, wear wise, in comparison to leather? I'm interested in hearing what you've experienced.

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.