Allan Hand Finished Leather Bibles

Experts place Allan Binding in a class of their own. The highest quality Bibles in terms of craftsmanship and quality are the premium leather calfskin and goatskin Bibles. The prices of these Bibles are substantially higher than their genuine and bonded leather counterparts. The higher prices are associated with their superior materials and individual craftsmanship. The bindings are sewn, instead of glued. The leather is actual grain leather, not leather that has been pressed into a mold. The Allan Bibles have a red dye injected into the pages so the gold edges retain their gloss. Gold foil is actually melted onto the pages. In summary, you are purchasing an individually crafted work of art, not an assembly line mold. Since each premium leather Bible is individually crafted, they also have individual character. Each Bible is therefore unique. Stitching can vary, red dye lines vary, gold luster varies, color and texture of leather and paper may vary-guaranteeing, in essence that your Bible is unique and individually crafted. Your goatskin or calfskin Bible is a unique work of art. There will be none other exactly similar. Let us provide a common example. Highland Goatskin binding is available on our Allan as well as our Cambridge Bibles. Every now and then a customer will contact us and report the existence of an alleged blemish on the shell. The blemish usually amounts to an irregular line or circle, which doesn't follow the grain. Answer: Highland Goatskin is the only leather binding which is not pressed into a mold. All other Bibles are molded under heat and pressure to produce a uniform grain (like a waffle iron). With Allan and some Cambridge Bibles what you have on your Bible is the actual hide of the goat that was wandering the hills of Nigeria. If the goat rubbed against barbed wire or was bitten by a wasp or asp-these are retained on the leather. These alleged blemishes actually attest to the authenticity of the Bible in question.    Allan Leather bibles ar avaiable in several translations, but because there are only so many made per year, they sell out quickly. Please contact us for ordering terms and availability.

Individually crafted Bibles are not perfect. The added expense associated with the binding and individual craftsmanship does not translate into perfection. This is an unrealistic expectation. Not every page will be 100% uniform. Margins can vary by a millimeter or two. Pages may be smoother or slightly more opaque. Ink intensity can vary. Slight page creases may exist. With most Bibles having about 1500 pages, you can expect a few variations along the way. These differences testify to each Bible's unique character. There are of course rare occasions, when we do have a certain defect: ie. a loose page, a tear in binding, smeared ink etc.- and in these cases we want to replace the defect as soon as is convenient. In sum, our premium Bibles are individually crafted. They make use of the best materials. They have the highest quality standard and controls. They will never, however, attain the mark of symmetrical perfection. Expect to purchase a high quality Bible-don't expect a perfect one! Most Allan Bibles have a thicker, more supple leather binding than their competitors. Allan Bindery is located in the United Kingdom. Small batches & attention to detail are paramount.

First, please note that all Allan Bibles get an "A" for binding. This decision has not been taken lightly. The care that has been taken in choosing quality grain skins as well as attention to detail in actual craftsmanship, give Allan Bibles the deserved reputation of being the "best bound Bibles in the world." Second, you will notice that not all Allan Bibles get perfect scores for legibility or paper quality. The main reason for this is that Bible size is always a trade off with font size and paper quality. Therefore when a person purchases an Allan 103 (Ruby)- he is purchasing a Bible, at least in part, for its portability. The Ruby's relatively compact nature necessarily renders a Bible with smaller font than the Allan 53 which is nearly twice its size. Similarly, paper quality (density) will decrease in proportion to the size of the Bible. More dense paper will produce a larger Bible....So when you see that the CC1 has a legibility grade of "C"-that is because you are purchasing a Bible that can fit in your coat pocket! In short, all of our Allan goatskin Bibles are excellent, however, please choose the Bible that best fits your individual needs. These principles, of course apply to all of our Bibles.

The following Bible correspond in pagination: Pitt Minion Reference corresponds in pagination with Wide Margin Reference Bibles.The Personal Concord Reference corresponds in pagination with the Concord Reference Bible. What does this mean? Here is an example: Cambrige Wide Margin ESV: Page 840: begins with Mark 11:11 and ends with Mark 12:11. Now the exact same is true for the Pitt Minion ESV. This of course holds true for corresponding NASB's, NKJV's, KJV's, etc. As mentioned above the same pagination is true for the personal size concord and concord reference Bibles. This makes these Bibles superb companions for those who want both a personal size Bible as well as a standard size Bible or Wide Margin Bible.

The World's Best Leather Bibles Cambridge University Press is committed to the finest printing and binding. They have their our own Printing House in Cambridge which is unique in being able to trace its history to the very beginnings of printing with moveable type. In our dedicated Craft Bindery, each volume is treated with same attention to craftsmanship as was our first Bible in 1591. A hallmark of Cambridge quality is the care taken in choosing the finest leathers from around the world. Each is scrutinized and, if accepted, is then cut to size for making the leather cases for Bible pages. Cambridge uses a range of leathers, with different grains appropriate to the size of the Bible. Care and Handling Leather, unlike many modern materials, will maintain its attractiveness if you follow a few simple guidelines. Keep the Bible away from sources of extreme heat and from water. Use a slightly damp cloth to clean it but please do not use any detergents or packaged Bible cleaning products. The best preservative for leather bindings is a natural substance: the oils transferred from your hands. The more you handle the Bible, the more quickly it will become supple to the touch. The combination of very thin paper and a generous layer of gilding means that sometimes the pages stick together until they are separated for the first time. If this happens, hold the pages between your thumb and index finger and rub them together with just enough pressure as is necessary to release the pages. Stitching The stitching used to sew the pages together is tough but thin, so open the pages carefully at first to allow the threads to settle. Incidentally, when you open a Cambridge Bible, you may see an extra row of stitching along the inner edge of some of the pages. This is evidence of the extra step our binder takes to secure the pages against strain. This extra stitching is added to the first and last sections of the larger Cambridge Bibles to protect the most vulnerable pages. Ribbon markers Ribbon markers allow you to keep your place while looking up cross-references and to mark a particular passage to which you want to return. If the Bible is one of our larger volumes, it may have two ribbons so you can keep your place in both the Old and the New Testaments at the same time. At Cambridge we take special care in choosing ribbon markers. Strong ribbons of appropriate breadth for the size of each Bible are selected, so that they will not curl up, become thread-like and, in extreme cases, cut through the thin Bible pages. A generous length is specified, too, so that the ribbons do not get lost within the pages. Paper Because of their length, Bibles traditionally have been printed on thin paper to ensure compact volumes. Cambridge Bibles are printed on paper much thinner and finer than ordinary book paper - yet also strong and opaque, so that 'show-through' from one page to another is minimized. Our paper buyers carefully choose the kind of paper best suited to each Bible type and size. They balance considerations of strength, thinness and opacity, and use only papers that meet the highest environmental standards. Note-taking The wide variety of pens and markers available nowadays makes it impossible to give an unconditional guarantee that notes written on the Bible pages will not smudge or bleed through over time. If using pens or markers, we suggest that you take care in your choice of writing implement and the pressure that you apply. Head and tail bands All Cambridge Bibles have the traditional 'head and tail' bands which were once used to help people take the books down from densely stocked shelves. Nowadays, they are added as a decorative item and the colours are chosen to complement the shade of leather and gilding used in the binding. Gilt Edges and Blocking Many Cambridge Bibles and Prayer Books are decorated with metallic gold and silver on their covers and on the edges of their paper. The material that is used in this process gives a rich, bright and attractive finish to the book. However, care must be taken to protect the Bible or Prayer Book from rain and snow, as the metallic foil may peel when exposed to moisture. For current pricing and to order one of these spectacular bibles from an online Christian retailer, go to http://www.christiansupplyland.com/index.php?module=content&content_id=5255/5255/storepage.html