Back in the spring - Lockdown Spring - I bought a new bible from 10ofThose. I had been using a single-column NIV but was struggling with how deep it was (the physical bible, not the contents - I mean, they're also deep and, yes, I struggle with them, too). The bible I bought was the NIV, British spelling (yay, no more roosters), 2-column, grey faux-leather with lime green zip. This one:
I paid £7.99 for it. I didn't really expect much, to be honest. But it's become my regular reading bible over the past months and I really like it (it's currently £9.99, btw - hardly extortionate).
The best bit is probably the 9-point text, which is a great size (11-point would be even more fab but that would make this a much bigger bible). The text is nicely dark and the paper pretty white giving great contrast. The paper quality isn't tops but this is a bible for under £8. Yes, there's bleed-through but that's pretty standard on all but the very priciest bibles.
I knew, however, that I was going to hate the zip - open in hand I'd always found a zip got in the way. And when perched on a shelf in the pew at church. But I don't hate it. It's not a problem (and, actually, I really like the splash of colour it brings to the bible). I haven't been using it in a pew, it's just been sat open on my desk. We'll see how that goes.
Durability? I dunno, can't say. But the price makes me feel comfortable with hauling it around and not worrying too much (the zip means the pages will be protected - another win for the zip).
I do still like a single-column layout but here's something else I've noticed: reading muscle-memory (it's got a proper name but you can go look that up) has meant I actually enjoy this double-column edition. I suspect that's because it seems to be pretty near to my old beloved 1984 NIV hardback, popular with helps, from back in the late 80s. Just a hunch.
Overall, what more can I say? It's what's inside that counts. And this package helps in getting there.
