Happy Birthday, Bertrand: Single Column Journaling Bible in August
Two things to celebrate in August: my birthday (I'll be 42), and the release by Crossway of a Single Column Journaling Bible. I'm sure the two have nothing to do with each other. Having said that, everybody knows I love the color red, and if you're familiar with my original post about the Journaling Bible, you'll know I had a little input on that as well. If my eyes don't deceive me, this is a red Moleskine-style, Single Column Journaling BIble, best of all possible worlds:
I've been a fan of the red Moleskine since it first appeared (originally unavailable in the US), so you won't be surprised to know that I've just updated my birthday list. As I've pointed out before, single column settings and wide margins go great together. There's no ambiguity about which column of text the notes in the margin go with, because there's only one column. Here's a look inside the forthcoming Single Column Journaling Bible:
You can check out a PDF sample of the interior layout by clicking here. For those of you without my red fixation (or those who live in bull-infested country and worry about the possibility of goring), they will also be available in black hardcover and brown leather.
I see a lot of Journaling Bibles in the hands of young people, who appreciate the format's styling and practicality. The advent of a single colum edition is particularly thrilling in that regard. Getting good, readable Bibles into the hands of young people (yes, I feel middle-aged every time I type those words) is a priority.
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.