Guest Rebind: Rolf's NABRE Oxford Large Print

Thanks to reader Rolf for providing the photos and commentary on this rebind. This looks awesome!  I may have to get mine rebound.

 I bought this Oxford large print NABRE with the genuine leather cover. It is my favorite Bible for several reasons; it has a large size 12 font. The print is bold and is very clear. The notes are at the end of each book so the pages are clear and uncluttered, this makes for better and more prayerful reading. The black genuine leather cover looks good, but the leather was very thin, hard and slippery. I could not hold easily in one hand, which is how I read my Bible most of the time. I had recently considered buying (on eBay) either an Allan or a Cambridge ESV Bible in goatskin because of the lack of any similar Catholic Bibles. But I could not spend $150-$200 for a Bible that is missing 7 books, no matter how nice they are. 


So I decided to go the other route and send my new Oxford NABRE to Leonard's to be rebound. So what to rebind it with was my first question? After reviewing all their selections and recommendations for a larger size Bible, I went with the distressed walnut pebble grain cowhide. It was recommended (among others) for larger size Bibles. The distressed walnut is an extra thick cowhide, which Leonard's also listed as being very soft. This is important to me to keep it from sliding out of my hand! I ordered the cover with a semi yapp extension on the edges of the cover (looks good and protects the gold guilted page edges). The pebble grain cowhide is softer and more supple  than I thought it would be, no breaking in required. It feels like soft leather glove in the hand and despite its thickness (twice as thick as the French Morocco leather on my Cambridge NRSV), it is as supple as goatskin. 



It is amazing, and the smell! My NABRE already had one gold ribbon marker, so I had Leonard's add two burgundy ones. I kept the front cover unmarked (see photos). The rebind cost me $115 plus $16 priority mail shipping (and add what ever it cost you to send it to Leonard's). This is a Bible that I am going to use everyday at home and for my RCIA and Bible study classes, it is going to get a lot of use!