For Sale: Rebound Calloner-Rheims New Testament

UPDATE: SOLD

I just wanted to pass this along, because I know there will be someone who will really dig this. Please make sure to address all inquiries to Bill.

Hi, I am offering my 1941 Revised Challoner-Rheims Version of the New Testament, which was recently bound by Leonard's in black leather soft-tanned goatskin. The bible itself is in near perfect condition with the exception of some light browning of the page edges which is common for a book from 1941. As far as I can see, there is no writing in the bible, and it is solidly bound.

This was rebound by Leonard's back in March of this year. I have far too many bibles, and am clearing out my bookshelf. This one, in particular,  I wanted to share here, on Timothy's blog because I know people here understand the value of a professionally leather covered bible from Leonard's. 
I payed just over $140.00 with shipping, and am asking $75.00 shipped via USPS within the ConUSA (Shipping from MA.). I will except PayPal.  Please contact me at: Billhicks(at)ymail(dot)com with any questions.

Another Rebound Knox

I am always delighted to share with you pictures and stories of people who have had their Bibles rebound.  Today, I am happy to introduce you to Tom, who had a vintage 1950's Knox Bible rebound by Leonard's.  Enjoy!

I've long wanted to do a Leonard's rebind since seeing one via Tim's blog.   I narrowed the choice of translation down to the Knox due to the clarity and freshness of the language, and briefly considered the Baronius Press edition but don't like the page layout. Instead, I settled on an 1950s Knox hardback from Sheed and Ward found on eBay.   Leonard's did a great job smoothing and repairing a few flawed pages in Jeremiah.  I chose the pebble grain cowhide, a semi-glossy black - love the traditional look and the raised edges along the spine.  Great feel as well, and I think of how this creature of God's (cow) gives praise to Him by covering the Holy Word. 

A Didache Rebound

You knew it was going to happen soon, right?  Well, veteran of the comment box and reader of this blog, Rolf, had his Didache Bible (RSV-2CE) rebound by Leonard's.  I know there are more of you out there who are contemplating doing the exact same thing.  I hope this helps your discernment!

Thanks Rolf for sharing a few words and these great pictures with us:

This is my second Bible rebind from Leonard's. As many of you know, last July I had my Oxford NABRE large print Bible rebound (see review) and has been my main Bible for most of last year. 
In January the Didache Bible (RSV-2CE) was published and I really like that Bible and use it as much (maybe more). So since it has been a year since I rebound the NABRE, I thought I would rebind the Didache Bible as well. I chose a forest colored pebble grain cowhide and added one forest green ribbon marker to the two existing markers. The genuine cowhide is not only soft but very flexible! The Bible lays flat in all positions. It is one of the leathers that Leonard's recommends for larger size Bibles. 

These are the two Bibles that I use everyday so I feel that the extra expense is worth it! I don't spend money on much else.  Unfortunately Catholic book publishers have not figured out that we also would like to have a nice Bible! At least offer genuine leather, but few even offer that? So some of us have to take a different route, and Leonard's is a good choice! 

A Leonard's Fix-Up: RSV-CE (Oxford)

A number of years back, I highlighted the thinline qualities of an Oxford RSV-CE readers edition, which is now out-of-print.  Because it didn't have cross-references, I copied a page of the "Old Testament references in the New Testament" chart and adhered it to the back end pages.  I ended up using it for a few months but discovered that there was a problem with it.  The binding, around the Pastoral Letters, was beginning to come loose.  I was disappointed by this and simply put this Bible away.  After the flood we had last August, I found it in a box that had miraculously survived.  I remembered the issue I had with it, so again I put it a side.  A month or two back, I decided to have it fixed up by the fine folks at Leonard's.  I have had two bibles rebound them, including my beloved Knox, so I thought about seeing what they could do with this one.  I wanted to keep the pacific duvelle cover, which I always enjoyed, but there were a series of other things I wanted done: 1) Tighten the sewing in the back, located primarily around the Pastorals; 2) Remove all glossy pages in the front; 3) Recast the book in the same cover; 4) Remove ribbon and add 3 navy ribbon markers.

Here are the before pictures:

And here are some pictures of what Leonard's did:

In the end, they did a great job at a reasonable price.  Again, if you are looking to have a bible rebound or fixed, go to Leonard's.

Now, if you made it all the way down here, I would like to offer you an opportunity to have this great Bible.  The is available for anyone in Canada or the United States.  You have until this Sunday, July 10th, at 11:59 PM to enter.  You must answer this question in the comments of this blog: What one passage of Scripture describes your faith and why?  One entry per person.  Please make sure to put a name at the end of your answer, particularly if you post anonymously.  I will announce the winner on Monday.  The winner has one week to contact me.

Guest Post: Divine Intimacy Rebound

Thanks to reader Andrew for sharing this with all of us.  Is there really any better combination, right now, than a Baronius Press book with a rebinding job done by Leonard's?   Enjoy!

If your looking for a classic of Catholic spirituality in the Carmelite tradition look no further than Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D's "Divine Intimacy". 

This book has reflections for every day of the liturgical year. Each day's entry has two brief reflections and a prayer to lead one into deeper contemplation. The reflections are very readable and accessible whilst being profound and drenched in Carmelite wisdom. 

Baronius Press has re-released this volume and they have done an excellent job with it. The Baronius edition is very well produced with sewn binding (making it a good candidate for rebinding). The paper is also of a high quality and the fext is printed in a highly readable font.  

This book follows the 1962 calendar, but not to fear, it is very easy to use and is completely useable for those who follow the Novus Ordo calendar. 

I have used this book for a few years now. In fact, I loved it so much that I bought a new copy and sent it off to Leonard's Book Restoration in Indiana to get the deluxe treatment. I figured that since I will use this book for life it would be worth it. The whole project cost around $190. 

The good people at Leonard's were able to accommodate my request for burgundy end pages and they came up with the great idea of saving the marbled fly leaves that were originally part of the Baronius binding. They replaced the flimsy ribbons that came with the Baronius binding with two high quality silk ribbons (brown and gold).  The lettering on the spine was done in gold and stamped into the leather. The font is the standard font that comes with the soft-cover Parson's. 

I can't recommend this book and Leonard's enough. They are very professional and do top quality work at a reasonable price. Most importantly, the content of this book is truly a pearl of great price that will help any Catholic grow in prayer and deepen his relationship with Christ, His blessed Mother and the saints (especially those of Carmel)! Get it! You won't be sorry! ;) 

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!

Knox Rebound: Goodbye to My Knox Bible

Surely it won't be gone forever, but rather just for a short trip to Leonard's Book Restoration for a bit of a makeover.  For a long time I have been looking for an everyday reading Bible that would meet a number of my personal preferences.  As we all know, for just as there is no perfect translation out there, neither is there a perfect Bible edition.  However, the Knox Bible, published by Baronius Press, comes really close.  The hardbound leather cover is really nice, but possibility to have this Bible bound in premium leather is just too great!

In the end, there are three main reasons why I am having my Knox Bible rebound.  First, I really enjoy reading from the single-column page format, including the absence of paragraph headings found in most Bibles.  As mentioned on the Baronius Press website, the Knox Bible is "set in a single-column format with verse references placed at the side of the text in order to provide a clear and easily readable Bible."  I can't think of any other Bible that I own that I have enjoyed actually reading large portions of Scripture from more than this edition of the Knox Bible.

Secondly, the notes and cross-references provided by Msgr. Knox are helpful, well-placed, and not overbearing.  They provide just enough information, relating both to textual and theological issues, thus making them simply an aid, not a distraction, from reading the Sacred Text.  There are also cross-references which, as you know, are necessary for any Bible I am going to use daily.

Finally, a note about the translation itself.  I mentioned a few posts ago that the Big Three (NAB, RSV, and NRSV) are more similar than different.  I still stand by that statement.  Clearly the Knox Bible is more dynamic than literal, but I have increasingly become more comfortable with it for everyday reading.  I have enjoyed many of his fresh renderings, which depart from the standard construction found in the Big Three.  The biggest issue is the archaic English that pops up from time to time, however, I haven't been as distracted by it as I might have thought.  The New Testament reads really well and some of Knox's renderings I have used in the CBSM classes that I teach. I sort of understand now why there is an attraction to translations like the (New) Jerusalem Bible or New Living Translation.

So, what am I having done with my Knox Bible?  Well, I am going to have it bound in soft-tanned flexible goatskin.  The color of the leather will be a dark brown.  I am going to have three places where there will be blind imprinting: On the spine there will be "Holy Bible" and "Knox Version", while on the bottom right of the cover will be placed my full name.  In addition, I will have three brown ribbons added while the original (red and yellow) ones will be removed.

As the project moves forward, I will continue to blog about my experiences with Leonard's.  I look forward to sharing with you the finished product in the coming weeks.

I would like to thank Margie at Leonard's for putting up with a flurry of emails from me over the past week, as well as Corey, our Catholic Bibles Blog rebinding expert, for consulting with me on this project.  I also would like to really thank my wife for allowing me to do this as well!  :)

A Rebound Catechism

Our friend Corey recently had his full sized edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church rebound.  In many ways, Corey is becoming the rebinding expert of the Catholic world.  You can read all about it at Matt's blog.  He had the Catechism rebound by our friends at Leonard's in their 18th Century Revivalist Style (Softcover Version).  

I think it may be about time to have one of my Bibles rebound.  I will announce which one in the coming days, but until then, what do you think about the new historical style offerings from Leonard's?  I hope to blog about my experiences with Leonard's over the coming weeks as this new rebinding project proceeds.   Can anyone guess which Bible I plan to have rebound?

Rebound RSV-2CE (Leonard's)

Thanks to Corey for the following guest post:

My Christmas present this year was a Leonard's Book Restoration rebind of my "daily" Ignatius RSV-2CE hardback (Ignatius RSV-2CE).  If you remember, my "test run" of Leonard's work was a rebind of my RSV-2CE Ignatius pocket NT-Psalms, which came out very nice (NT-Psalms rebind).  I have since enlisted the aid of Leonard's to do a number of rebinds of that pocket NT-Psalms as nicer Christmas presents for people very close to me.  They have been VERY well received.

But it simply did not make much sense for me to not get my full size RSV-2CE rebound.  Because my full size RSV is my daily "read and underline/highlight" bible, I wanted that daily bible to be upgraded.  I chose Leonard's "Circuit Rider" style from their "Historical Series"  (Leonard's "Circuit Rider").  I loved the look and history of the style.  True, it is technically a "Protestant" bible style, but I like to believe that rebinding a "Catholic" Bible in a "Protestant" historical binding is at the height of bible ecumenism and evangelism ;) !

I am extremely pleased with the product.  Leonard's puts these historical styles through a "process" (as Margie says) that gives the final product an antiqued look without damaging the leather at all.  The bible came to me feeling well "loved", yet perfectly taken care of.  The craftsmanship is top notch.  It is a perfect paring of a good Catholic translation used by the Catechism and a wonderful binding.

This style is clearly designed to travel well, per Leonard's site:  "This style is made of thick glossy chocolate soft-tanned goatskin as a stiff flex-cover and still includes raised ribs and “Holy Bible” in the Wedding Text font on the spine, and an old-fashioned wraparound tab closure.  It’s great for backpacks and suitcases, saddle bags and satchels, making a neat package without ribbons."  Leonard's does not demand that you use the "marbled" end pages.  But they are historically accurate (per Leonard's).  You can substitute their nice "hand milled" paper end pages if you prefer (or probably others).  Also you can use ribbons, but those are not historically accurate (again, per Leonard's) because of their propensity of getting caught, pulled and/or soiled with heavy travel.

The style opens well and the tab does not get in the way of reading/working in the Bible.  I could go on and on. I highly recommend this style and I'm sure the other historical styles are of equal quality.  This style probably runs you about $50 or so more than doing one of the Leonard's more typical rebinds. I can't recommend Leonard's enough.  

Peace of Christ to you all.  ~ Corey