Everyone knows that the Bible is the best-selling book of all time. It's also the best-selling book every year, even though almost every family (at least in the U.S.) already has a copy. The thing is, one just isn't enough. The average American household has four Bibles in it. I have eight, including a bilingual edition and a parallel edition containing four English translations, not to mention a parallel Gospels and lectionary. And I have barely scratched the surface. The variety of Bibles out there is truly mindboggling, and readers are happy to buy about a hundred million of them every year. So why is it so hard for publishers to print a Bible that is pleasant to read?
My translation of choice is the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), which is considered by many to be the most reliable translation into English to date. It's been around for nearly 20 years now, but I have yet to see an edition of it that doesn't make my eyes cringe. Sometimes the typography is the problem, but mostly it's the paper, that flimsy, transparent, dreadful Bible paper. Why is it that publishers think that it's all right to print such an important book on paper so thin you can read what's on the next page before you get there? As if reading the Bible wasn't challenging enough, the jumble of shadows behind each line just confuses the eye and the brain. No one would dream of publishing even the cheeziest paperback novel on such rotten paper, so why is it OK for the most important book in all of human history?
The latest entrants into the Bible Bleedthrough Hall of Shame are the new Harper NRSV Bibles. They are being marketed as quality, readable Bibles, and indeed they are beautifully constructed and designed, but it is all for naught because the paper is a complete disaster. I've examined both the standard, one-column edition and the large print edition, and in both cases the paper is the worst I've ever seen. Have a look:
Now, I don't mind a bit of bleedthrough in a study or reference Bible. Or perhaps I should say, I put up with it to keep the size and cost down, and because it's not the sort of thing one usually reads for long stretches. But a reading Bible, one containing only the text, should be held to a higher standard. An edition like that is likely to be read for inspiration or solace, and that is not a time when you want to have to work just to make out the words. A reading Bible should be beautiful, and it should be conducive to meditation and reflection. Reading it should be a peaceful experience. It shouldn't give you a headache.
Of course it's not just the Harper Bibles. As I said, I have yet to see any edition that lived up to it's promise of "opaque" paper (they all say that, and they all lie). I wonder if any of the publishers actually read their product? I wonder if they are just churning out any old junk because they know people will buy it? Well, I'm not buying it. I'm returning my Harper Bible, and I'm going to wait for something better. In the mean time I have my Saint John's Bible. At 15 inches tall it's not the most convenient book to read, but it can't be beat for beauty. Publishers might want to take note of this—if people are willing to spend $300 for a big, beautiful, 7-volume, handwritten NRSV Bible, we might be willing to spend $50 on a well-designed, one-volume print edition on truly opaque paper. I'll certainly be the first in line for it.
