Size Comparison: The Allan's ESV Range
This morning I received copies of the new R. L. Allan Reader's Reference Edition ESV, and will be writing more about them shortly. For now, I want to address what must be a common question, which is how the latest addition to the Allan's ESV line-up compares with the other two. I stacked three black highland goatskin Bibles -- the Personal Size Reference, the Classic Reference (ESV1), and the Reader's Edition -- one on top of the other, then snapped a few photos.
The Reader's Edition is taller and wider than the ESV1 (middle), and of course it dwarves the PSR (top). If you've ever handled the Allan's Long Primer, you know this is a good thing. Why? Because that larger, wider footprint combined with a similar width makes the text block's proportions just right for liquid flexibility, taking full advantage of the highland goatskin's suppleness. Of the three options, this one feels the best in the hand ... by far.
I'm not going to share too much at this point. You'll have to wait for the full review. But I'm guessing that if you're using the ESV in the pulpit, this is the edition you're going to want. All the details are upgraded, the type size is comfortable, and it melts in the hand. More later ...
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.