Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Thinline Bibles


Some of you who have been reading this blog for the past couple years know that I have always wanted a Catholic Bible in a thinline edition. As far as I know, one does not exist in any of the major Catholic, or ecumenical, translations. There have been times when I think I have found something that would ultimately meet my needs, but in the end it didn't. At least for me, a thinline Bible is something that can be used in both devotional, as well as classroom settings. Whenever I have picked up one in the store, I have always liked its size and feel. It's neither too small, like a compact edition, nor as big as a standard, average sized Bible.
Of course, in the back of mind currently is the upcoming release of the NRSV Thinline edition by HarperOne, which promises to come in Protestant and full Apocrypha editions in the fall, with a Catholic edition in early 2011. However, I have yet to see any indication as to what this edition will look like or what it will contain. If one remembers, it was only last year that HarperOne released their NRSV Compact Thinline, which ended up being a pretty bare bones compact NRSV. So, we shall have to wait and see what comes of the this.
Why do I bring this all up? Well, I was about five seconds away from purchasing the ESV Thinline pictured above. It contained all the elements that make up a really good thinline Bible. Not only was the text very readable, as well as containing OT cross-references in the NT, but the cover was flexible and soft trutone, and it contained both a concise concordance and maps. It was a pleasure to read from and hold....which is why I almost purchased it. Obviously, the lack of Deutercanonical books make this ESV edition incomplete, so I passed. But other than that, it gets very high marks. To be honest, another reason that almost convinced me to purchased it was that I had convinced myself that I could use the ESV w/ Apocrypha by Oxford in conjunction with the thinline. Hmmm.......
So, do any of you use a thinline? What do you think of thinline Bibles in general?

8 comments:

rolf said...

The closest thing I have to a Catholic thinline is my NAB Bible from World Catholic Press. It is 5 1/2 x 8 1/8 inches it is pretty thin and light enough to carry everywhere, and for an added touch it has a zipper. As all NAB Bibles it has all its notes, book descriptions and maps. The zipper enclosure is very nice, it allows me to take this Bible in suit cases, in a brief case or in the center counsel of my car (where it stays most of the time) without damaging the pages. The font size is a well spaced 8, and the print is bold enough to read in lower light settings. It is also a red letter edition (which some don't like).

Esteban Vázquez said...

I love thinline Bibles. The first one I ever owned was a Spanish RVR1960 given to me as a gift during my senior year of high school. Its cover is bonded leather, though, so it soon was in terrible shape given the abuse I put it through. (As an aside, I have never once seen in the flesh a Spanish Bible available in anything fancier than bonded leather.) The second one was a green bonded leather NIV that I picked up for a pittance at a thrift shop. It was in excellent condition, and as I was then a pastor, I started using it as my preaching Bible. It served me very well, and it held up admirably. Along the way I picked up two thinline NRSVs and one thinline RSV, but I have never used them much. But in 2005 I found a gorgeous thinline ESV with premium genuine leather covers that sold for a mere $15 at the used bookshop. I took that back with me to Puerto Rico and it has seen quite a bit of use. I really enjoy having such handy and portable editions of the Bible available, and I've grown quite accustomed to them. That they usually lack the Anagignoskomena really doesn't bother me at all--I've never understood the mentality that the "complete Bible" must appear between two covers. When I want to read those particular books, I just pick up one of the little Cambridge "Apocryphas" (either KJV or NRSV), and presto! Problem solved.

Timothy said...

Rolf,

Yes I am familiar with that edition.... I may have a copy of it somewhere! ;)

Esteban,

You may have persuaded me to pick up that thinline. Hmmm..... Why do you have to make sense like that?

Anonymous said...

Tim I love the thinline bible concept and like you have failed to find a truly Catholic thinline bible. I ended up ordering the Ignatius Catholic Bible/compact edition/zipper cover. It includes a copy of Dei Verbum ,a three-page section on prayers and devotions and the RSV translation...Am I happy with it? No! Like you, the ESV thinline is looking awfully good to me. I am also have a hard time keeping my hands off of the ESV study bible. Are you listening Catholic bible publishers?
Thanks/Sharon in Waxahachie, Texas

Timothy said...

Sharon,

I feel your pain! I too have the oxford RSV which is very bare bones, but pretty close to a true thinline. I saw, today, a premium edition of the ESV thinline, which included even more maps and intros. As a matter of fact, I think the maps were similar to that of the ESV study Bible. Still thinking about getting it...

Diakonos said...

I thought the ESV annotations and study notes were problematic for Catholics? What about their (Protestant)interpretation of Pauline theology of justification?

I LOVE what I see in so many Protestant Study Bibles but I know that I feel regret the money spent once I begin reading the notes...

Timothy said...

Yeah, I am still hesitant on the full ESV study Bible for the reasons you mentioned. However, the thinline, which doesn't come with study notes, does have some maps and intros that may be similar to the Study Bible.

etaylor said...

I am so frustrated and feel somewhat cheated!!
Catholic's far out weigh the protestant's in numbers and popularity so why is it so hard to find a Bible that is Catholic and Thinline/slimline edition??!!

AAARRRGGGG!!!!!